THE 

GERMAN  REVOLUTION 

OF  1849 

BEING  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  FINAL  STRUGGLE,  IN  BADEN, 

FOR  THE  MAINTENANCE  OF  GERMANY'S  FIRST 

NATIONAL  REPRESENTATIVE 

GOVERNMENT 


BY 

CHARLES  W.  DAHLINGER 


tX^ 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 

Zbc  IRiitcf^erbochcr  press 

1903 


Copyright,  1903 

BY 

CHARLES  W.  DAHLINGER 

Published,  January,  1903 


■Cbe  •Rntcfterbocher  ptets,  tUcMO  L'orft 


T)T) 


PREFACE 

TN  the  years  1848  and  1849,  continental 
A  Europe  was  torn  from  one  end  to  the 
other  by  a  mad  struggle  of  the  people  for 
more  civil  liberty.  France,  Germany,  Austria- 
Hungary,  Italy,  all  felt  its  violence. 

In  Germany  for  a  time  the  people  were  tri- 
umphant and  absolute  government  appeared 
to  be  an  institution  of  the  past.  Finally,  in 
1849,  th^  whole  illusion  was  dispelled;  grim 
reaction  again  swept  into  power  and  trampled 
the  common  people  into  the  dust,  where  they 
remained  until  the  victorious  war  of  1870- 
187 1  against  France  at  last  forced  the  kings 
and  princes  to  form  an  empire  with  an  imperial 
representative  government. 

The  following  sketch  is  intended  only  to 
picture  the  death-struggle  of  the  movement, 
which  took  place  in  Baden,  and  forms  an  inci- 
dent in  the  history  of  Germany  scarcely  less 
fascinating  than  the  oft-told  tale  of  the  great 
revolution  in  France,  of  which  it  was  a  mild 
imitation.  Another  reason  for  the  appearance 
of  the  book  is  the  fact  that  a  vast  number  of 


212146 


iv  Preface 

the  participants,  after  the  last  gun  had  been 
fired,  the  last  charge  made,  and  a  life  of  exile 
was  before  them,  in  looking  for  a  new  home, 
crossed  the  broad  Atlantic  and  came  to  the 
United  States,  making  new  careers  for  them- 
selves, which  were  not  only  a  credit  to  the 
land  of  their  birth,  but  to  the  country  of  their 
adoption  as  well. 

Lorenz  Brentano,  the  civil  leader  of  the 
revolution,  after  coming  to  the  United  States, 
was  first  a  farmer  in  Michigan,  afterwards  a 
lawyer  in  Chicago,  and  later  editor  of  the  Illi- 
nois Staatszeitung  of  that  city,  and  at  different 
times  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature  of 
Illinois,  of  Congress,  and  United  States  Con- 
sul at  Dresden. 

Of  the  record  of  Franz  Sigel,  much  of  the 
time  the  military  commander  of  the  move- 
ment, little  need  be  said.  As  a  colonel  in 
the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  War,  he 
gained  at  Carthage,  Missouri,  the  earliest  vic- 
tory of  that  struggle,  became  major-general 
and  department  commander,  his  name  being  a 
household  word  during  that  ever-memorable 
time. 

Ludwig  Blenker  became  a  brigadier-gen- 
eral of  United  States  Volunteers,  and  to  his 
brigade  was  intrusted  the  duty  of  protecting 


Preface  v 

the  rear  of  the  Union  army  at  the  fateful  first 
battle  of  Bull  Run. 

Alexander  Schimmelpfennig  commanded  the 
74th  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  and  afterwards 
as  a  brigadier-general  took  part  in  the  battle 
of  Gettysburg. 

Friedrich  Hecker's  oratory  was  heard  from 
the  stump  in  the  interest  of  the  Republican 
party  wherever  Germans  lived,  from  the  time 
of  the  Fremont  campaign  in  1856,  until  long 
after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War ;  in  which 
struggle  he  also  took  part,  first  as  colonel,  and 
then  as  brigadier-general,  and  in  which  he  was 
wounded. 

There  are  many  others  who  were  less  promi- 
nent in  the  Baden  movement,  as  Carl  Schurz, 
who  as  a  young  student  served  in  the  Pala- 
tine division  of  the  Baden  army,  and  in  the 
United  States  became  a  major-general,  a  dip- 
lomat. United  States  Senator,  Secretary  of 
the  Interior,  and  writer  of  books.  Another 
major-general  of  the  Civil  War  was  Peter 
Joseph  Osterhaus,  who,  during  the  Baden 
Revolution,  was  commandant  of  the  burgher- 
guard  at  Mannheim.  In  the  United  States 
he  fought  under  his  old  commander,  Sigel, 
in  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  and  as  major- 
general,    commanding    the    Fifteenth    Army 


vi  Preface 

Corps,  was  with  Sherman  on  his  famous 
march  to  the  sea. 

The  Hst  could  be  indefinitely  extended  if 
all  majors,  captains,  and  lesser  officers  in  the 
Union  army  during  the  Civil  War  were  enum- 
erated who  saw  their  first  campaigning  in 
the  short  struggle  in  Baden.  Nearly  all  were 
young,  intelligent,  and  ambitious,  some  highly 
educated.  Many  books  might  be  written  about 
those  who,  in  positions  where  high  qualifica- 
tions were  necessary,  rose  to  eminence.  The 
men  appeared  in  all  the  walks  of  life,  as  writ- 
ers on  the  newspapers,  as  professors  in  colleges 
and  the  higher  schools,  and  in  the  more  im- 
portant places  in  the  manufactories  and  work- 
shops. 

No  claim  of  original  research  is  made  in  the 
following  pages.  All  the  materials  were  ob- 
tained from  the  books  and  memoirs  written  by 
participants,  from  histories,  biographies,  and 
books  of  travel  of  a  later  date,  and  from  the 
file  of  a  newspaper  covering  the  period  of  the 
movement.  In  addition  a  very  small  part  of 
the  facts  set  forth  were  received  from  persons 
who  took  part  in  the  uprising,  notably  the 
writer's  father,  and  his  father's  brother :  the 
first,  while  a  boy  of  seventeen,  participating 
as  a  volunteer,   from  the  night  of  the  attack 


Preface  vii 

on  the  Armoury  in  Carlsruhe,  until  the  retreat 
of  the  revolutionary  army  into  Switzerland ; 
the  other  being  a  young  recruit  in  Rittmeis- 
ter  La  Roche's  squadron  of  dragoons,  as  it 
charged  the  mob  approaching  along  the  Lange 
Strasse,  the  next  day  going  over  to  the  revolu- 
tionists, and  serving  throughout  the  war,  until, 
with  the  remnant  of  his  regiment,  he  finally 
surrendered  to  the  Prussians  at  Freiburg. 

It  was  deemed  inadvisable  to  burden  the 
work  with  footnotes,  but  a  bibliography  of 
the  leading  authorities  consulted  is  added  at 
the  end  of  the  book. 

C.  W.  D. 

Allegheny,  Pennsylvania,  U.S.A. 
August,  1902. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  ^^?^. 

Preface "i 

I. — Germany  and  Baden  from  1815  to  the 

Spring  of  1849 i 

II. — Spread  of  Republicanism  in  Baden — 
Organisation  of  Clubs — Question  of 
THE  Imperial  Constitution  — Revolu- 
tionary Meeting  at  Offenburg  and 
Mutiny  of  the  Army    ....       26 

III.— Outbreak     in      Carlsruhe,      Sunday, 

May  13TH 44 

IV.— Second    Day    of    the    Revolution    in 

Carlsruhe  and  Rastatt  ...  60 
V, — Extension  of  the  Revolution — Prepar- 
ing for  War — Coalition  of  Strong 
German  States  Against  Baden  — 
Assembling  of  the  Allies  on  the 
Northern  Frontier   .         .         .         »       74 

VI. — The  State  Committee     .         .       *.         -99 

VII. — Uprising     in     the     Rhine-Palatinate 
OF   Bavaria  for  the  Imperial    Con- 
stitution     .         .         .         .         .         •     117 
Vlll. — Decline  and  Dispersal  of  the  National 

Assembly  of  Germany  .         .         -125 

IX. — Military  Affairs — Fight  on  the  Berg 

Strasse  ...         =         ..     141 


X  Contents 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

X. — The  Provisional  Government — Arrest 

OF  FiCKLER  IN  StUTTGART  —  CONTEST 
BETWEEN  THE  RADICALS  AND  CONSERVA- 
TIVES IN  Carlsruhe  ON  June  6th  .  159 
XI. — The  Constituent  Assembly  .  .  .  177 
XII, — Skirmish  at  Weinheim — Mieroslawski 
— Fight  at  Waldmichelbach — Re- 
pulse of  the  Allies  on  June  15TH 
— Evacuation  of  the  Hirschhorn 
ScHLoss  by  the  Hanau  Turners — 
Retreat  of  Von  Peucker  on  June 
i6th      .......     187 

XIII. — Battle  of  Waghausel  and  the  Re- 
treat OF  Mieroslawski  —  Evacua- 
tion OF  Carlsruhe       .         .         .         .214 

XIV. — Re-organization  of  the  Army  at  Ras- 
tatt — Fighting  along  the  Murg 
River — End  of  the  Revolution,  Re- 
treat through  the  Black  Forest, 
AND  Entry  into  Switzerland — Sur- 
render OF  Rastatt  and  Execution 
of  the  Leaders  by  the  Prussians  .  245 
Bibliography  .  .  .  .  ,  .  273 
Index 277 


THE  GERMAN  REVOLUTION  OF  1849 


THE  GERMAN  REVOLUTION 
OF  1849 


CHAPTER  I 

GERMANY  AND  BADEN  FROM  1815  TO  THE 
SPRING  OF  1849 

THE  better  to  understand  the  causes  which 
led  to  the  revolutionary  movement  of 
1849,  ^  short  survey  of  the  history  of  Baden 
from  the  close  of  the  Napoleonic  era,  with  a 
glimpse  at  that  of  Germany  in  general,  will  be 
useful. 

Many  harsh  words  have  been  spoken  of  the 
great  Corsican,  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  but  the 
truth  remains  that  he  introduced  more  reforms, 
crushed  more  abuses,  and  gave  greater  liber- 
ties to  the  German  people  than  they  had  ever 
known  before  in  all  their  history.  This  was  -^ 
more  particularly  true  in  Baden  and  the  other 
states  of  South  Germany  which  had  belonged 


2      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

to  his  Confederation  of  the  Rhine.  Baden 
was  connected  with  Napoleon  not  only  politi- 
cally, but  by  ties  of  marriage,  Crown  Prince 
Karl,  afterwards  Grand  Duke  of  Baden,  having 
married  Stephanie  Beauharnais,  Napoleon's 
niece  and  adopted  daughter.  After  Napo- 
leon's overthrow,  the  liberties  obtained  during 
his  supremacy  were  enjoyed  to  the  full  extent 
in  South  Germany  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
two  of  the  states  were  even  given  constitu- 
tions.     Baden    received    this   great   boon    on 

i-  August  22,  18 18,  and  its  affairs  were  thence- 
forth administered  by  two  Chambers,  the 
second  being  elected  by  the  people.  Bavaria 
had  been  given  a  constitution  a  few  months 
earlier,  but  in  the  other  thirty  odd  states  of 
Germany  the  will  of  the  kings  and  princelings 
remained  paramount  for  many  years. 

Before  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  on  June  10, 

V1815,  the  German  Bund  had  been  formed, 
which  was  a  loose  confederation,  whose  affairs 
were  administered  by  a  Diet,  meeting  at  Frank- 
fort-on -the- Main,  which  could  change  the 
regulations  governing  the  Union  only  by  a 
unanimous  vote.  To  this  Diet  Germany  was 
indebted  for  the  reactionary  measures  which 
attempted  to  crush  out  all  liberty  and  again 
bind  the  Germans  in  the  chains  from  which,  at 


Germany  and  Baden  3 

least  in  South  Germany,  they  had  been  freed 
by  the  French  domination. 

The  first  Landtag,  as  the  Second  Chamber  in 
Baden  was  called,  met  on  April  19,  1819,  and 
was  composed  of  the  best,  most  learned  and 
liberal  men  in  the  state,  who  strove  to  free  it 
from  the  remains  of  feudalism.  Bills  were  in-  / 
troduced  for  trial  by  jury,  for  the  restoration  of 
the  freedom  of  the  press,  as  also  one  requesting 
the  Grand  Duke  to  withdraw  an  edict  of  April 
23,  18 18,  which  guaranteed  certain  obnoxious 
rights  and  privileges  to  the  nobility.  Only 
the  last  was  reluctantly  granted,  and  the  other 
bills  were  never  permitted  to  be  passed  in  the 
Chambers.  The  Liberal  views  expressed  in  the 
Baden  Landtag,  and  taught  by  a  number  of 
professors  in  the  leading  universities  of  Ger- 
many, were  looked  upon  as  revolutionary  by 
Austria  and  Prussia  and  some  other  govern- 
ments, and  a  conference  of  the  powers  was 
called  by  Prince  Metternich,  the  Chancellor  of 
the  Empire,  which  met  at  Carlsbad  in  Sep- 
tember, 18 19,  and  appointed  a  Central  In- 
vestigation Commission,  to  inquire  into  the 
"revolutionary  intrigues  and  demagogic  com- 
binations," and  restrlt^d-in  the  preparation  of 
a  resolution  for  a  press  law  to  be  in  operation 
for  five  years,  which  was   duly   enacted  into 


4      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

a  law  of  the  Confederation,  on  August  13, 
1 820.  Under  the  provisions  of  this  law,  a  strict 
censorship  of  the  press  was  instituted  in  all  the 
states,  by  which  all  newspapers  and  printed 
matter  under  twenty  sheets  could  be  sup- 
pressed, and  the  editor  forbidden  thereafter  to 
publish  anything  in  any  of  the  confederated 
states  for  a  period  of  five  years.  At  the  uni- 
versities a  government  official  was  stationed 
whose  duty  it  was  to  bring  about  the  dismissal 
of  all  teachers  suspected  of  teaching,  or  even 
holding  Liberal  views. 

All  secret  societies  in  the  universities  were 
suppressed,  and  a  period  of  reaction  com- 
menced. On  August  16,  1824,  the  Diet  en- 
acted in  the  same  spirit  another  law  for  the 
supervision  of  the  universities  and  all  educa- 
tional matters  in  Germany,  and  from  that  time 
on  every  man  of  sincerity  and  spirit  who 
dared  give  expression  to  his  thoughts  was 
harassed  and  persecuted. 

In  1830  a  glimmer  of  light  broke  through 
the  darkness.  In  July  of  that  year  the  Bour- 
bons were  overthrown  in  France,  and  Charles 
X.,  who  had  made  himself  universally  hated, 
was  forced  to  abdicate.  The  great  revolution 
which  the  Poles  had  just  begun  for  nationalism 
In  their  poor  dismembered  Poland  also  made 


Germany  and  Baden  5 

a   deep    impression    in    Germany.      The   two 
events  caused  a  perfect  tidal  wave  of  Liberalism 
to  sweep  over  Baden,  and  the  next  Landtag, 
which  met  in  1831,  was  more  radical  than  any 
of   its   predecessors   since    1819.     One  of   its 
laws,  that  relating  to  the  freedom  of  the  press, 
created  great  enthusiasm.     It  was  the  only  one 
of  the  kind  enacted  in  all  Germany,  and  was 
contrary  to  the  regulations  of  the  Diet.     The 
result  was  a  great  increase  in  the  number  of  the 
Liberal  newspapers  in  Baden.     Soon,  however, 
the  repressive  machinery  of  the  Diet  was  again 
set  in  motion,  and  as  early  as  November,  1831, 
the  Baden  government  received  notice  to  ex- 
ercise a  stricter  watch  over  its  press ;  on  July 
5,  1832,  the  Diet  declared  that  the  Baden  press 
law  was  incompatible  with  the  law  of  the  Con- 
federacy and  must  be  abrogated  within  fourteen 
days,  which  was  done  by  the    Grand    Ducal 
government,  and  the  censorship  in  all  its  rig- 
our re-established.     The  same  influences  also 
broueht  about  the  removal  of  Professor  von 
Rotteck  and  Professor  Welcker,  the  Liberal 
leaders  in  the  Baden  Landtag,  from  their  pro- 
fessorships at  the  University  of  Freiburg.    The 
reaction  then  became  more  pronounced  and 
sharper  ;  the  Liberal  South  German  states  were 
even  threatened  with  armed  force,  and  many 


6        The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

of  the  Liberal  leaders  in  official  positions  were 
forced  to  retire  to  private  life. 

But  in  Baden,  the  spirit  of  Liberalism,  not- 
withstanding, grew  rapidly,  and  each  succeed- 
ing Landtag  had  a  larger  independent  majority 
than  the  one  preceding.  While  the  govern- 
ment was  far  from  Liberal  in  its  tendencies,  yet 
public  opinion  leaned  so  strongly  in  that  direc- 
tion that  the  officials  were  afraid  to  prosecute 
those  who  held  these  doctrines. 

Prussia  was  the  leader  of  the  reactionaries. 
"Vj  Whenever  a  man  dared  utter  a  Liberal  thought 
or  idea,  he  was  persecuted.  Arndt,  the  author 
of  Was  ist  des  Deutschen  Vaterland,  had  long 
since  felt  the  weight  of  its  iron  hand.  Heine 
was  an  exile  in  Paris.  Many  professors  were 
removed  from  their  positions  in  the  universities 
for  expressing  ideas  repugnant  to  the  minds  of 
a  few  narrow  politicians.  The  hatred  of  the 
/  South  Germans  against  the  Prussian  govern- 
ment was  intense.  In  1835,  when  the  question 
of  joining  the  great  German  Zollvereiii  (Tariff 
Union)  came  up  in  the  Baden  Landtag,  al- 
though the  measure  in  itself  was  beneficial,  Von 
Rotteck  and  other  Liberals  opposed  it,  because 
they  did  not  desire  to  have  anything  in  com- 
>^j^  mon  with  "absolutely  governed  Prussia." 

In  1847  the  first  real  progress  was  made  in 


Germany  and  Baden  7 

the  fieht  for  orreater  freedom.     In  the  autumn 

of  that  year  two  meetings  were  held  with  the 

object  in  view  of  securing  the  estabhshment 

of  a  national   representative  government   for 

the  whole  of  Germany.     On  September   12th 

a  great   public  meeting  took  place  at  Offen- 

burg,    in     Baden,    under    the    presidency    of 

Friedrich    Hecker,  a  young  and  brilliant  ad-  ^i^ 

vocate  of  Mannheim,  a  Deputy  to  the  Land-        ,    }  ^  t 

taof.       Other    radicals     like    Gustav    Struve, 

editor  of  the  Ziischauer,   at   Mannheim,   and 

Joseph  Fickler,  editor  of  the  Constance  See- 

bldtter,   were    also   among   the  leaders.     The 

meeting  demanded,  among  other  things,  the 

repeal  of  the  decrees  of  Carlsbad,  Frankfort,*^ 

and   Vienna,    freedom  of   the  press,   national 

representation  at  the  Diet,  and  trial  by  jury. 

On  October  loth  a  conference  of  the  mon- 
archical Liberals  was  held  at  Heppenheim,  in 
the  south  of  Hesse,  near  the  Baden  frontier, 
at  which  representative  men  from  Baden  and 
other  South  German  states  were  present,  who 
agreed,  in  opposition  to  the  resolutions  of  the 
Offenburg  meeting,  to  the  mild  proposition  of 
working  for  a  remodelling  of  the  articles  of 
confederation. 

Now  came  an   event  which   had   more    in-  ^y 
fluence  in  Germany  than  all  the  agitation  of 


8       The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

the  previous  thirty  years.  In  France,  on 
J  February  24,  1848,  the  July  Kingdom  was 
]  overthrown  and  a  republic  proclaimed,  the 
j  national  guard  and  the  troops  of  the  line 
uniting  with  the  people,  compelling  King 
Louis  Philippe  to  flee  to  England.  ( The 
Liberals  of  Germany  took  new  courage. 
What  they  formerly  begged  for  they  now 
demanded.  The  Diet,  on  the  other  hand, 
assumed  a  mild,  almost  apologetic,  attitude. 
On  February  17th,  before  the  French  Revo- 
lution had  broken  out,  the  Baden  represent- 
ative to  the  Diet,  at  the  request  of  his 
ngovernment,  had  asked  that  body  to  take 
\  ^^  some  action  to  calm  the  threatening  attitude 
of  the  people  in  his  state.  Nothing  was  done 
by  the  Diet.  After  the  events  in  Paris,  how- 
ever, on  March  3d,  the  Diet  voluntarily  raised 
the  censorship  of  the  press,  and  on  March  8th 
declared  in  favour  of  a  revision  of  the  consti- 
tution of  the  Confederation,  and  on  the  sam.e 
day  enacted  that  the  long -defamed  black, 
red,  and  gold  flag  should  be  the  imperial  flag 
of  Germany.  The  apparent  fear  displayed 
by  the  Diet  and  many  of  the  governments 
made  the  Germans  bold,  not  only  in  Baden 
and  South  Germany,  but  wherever  the  Ger- 
man tongue  was  spoken.     They  resolved  to 


Germany  and  Baden  9 

pay  no  further  attention  to  the  old  reaction- 
ary Diet  at  Frankfort  with  its  Metternichian 
poHtics. 

The  first  step  of  the  Liberal  politicians  was 
to  call  a  conference  to  be  held  at  Heidelberg,.^ 
in  Baden.  On  March  5th  this  conference  met ' 
with  fifty-one  persons  present,  of  whom  twenty 
were  from  Baden,  including  Hecker,  the  ma- 
jority of  the  others  being  from  Wiirtemberg 
and  Hesse-Darmstadt,  with  one  or  two  each 
from  Bavaria,  Nassau,  Frankfort,  Rhenish- 
Prussia,  and  Austria.  The  representatives  at 
the  conference  were  men  of  courage  as  well 
as  conviction,  and  concluded  to  establish  a 
national  parliament  for  Germany  as  rapidly 
as  possible.  As  a  preliminary  step,  it  was 
decided  to  invite  men  from  every  district  in 
Germany  to  meet  and  confer  on  this  im- 
portant matter. 

To  prepare  for  this  meeting  they  appointed 
a  committee  of  seven  to  arrange  the  details, 
and  decided  to  call  a  Preliminary  Parliament 
{V or  par  lament)  for  March  31st  to  meet  at 
Frankfort-on-the-Main  in  the  Romer,  the  old 
Townhall,  where  the  Emperors  of  Germany 
had  been  crowned  for  a  thousand  years.  The 
committee  agreed  to  invite  all  persons  who 
were  then  members  of  the  Chambers  or  other 


10     The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

law-making  bodies,  in  all  of  the  German 
states.  In  addition,  many  well-known  per- 
sons who  had  been  before  the  public  and 
who,  as  writers,  teachers,  agitators,  and  in 
other  capacities,  had  a  following,  were  asked. 
The  staid,  conservative  Germans  had  become 
wild ;  in  many  of  the  larger  cities  insurrections 
broke  out. 

In  Baden,  while  there  was  no  open  out- 
break, the  Chambers  were  overwhelmed  with 
petitions  asking  for  reforms.  As  early  as 
February  29th  the  government  had  promised 
the  immediate  introduction  of  bills  for  the  es- 
tablishment of  an  armed  municipal  militia,  to 
be  called  the  burgher-guard  {Bilrgerwehr),  of 
trials  by  jury,  of  a  provisional  press  law,  rais- 
ing the  censorship  ;  and  soon  afterward  the 
press  law  of  December  28th,  1831,  was  again 
put  in  force. 

On  March  ist,  Hecker  presented  in  the 
Second  Chamber  the  demands  of  the  people, 
which  he  had  formulated  under  twelve  heads, 
which  were  adopted  by  a  large  majority  the 
next  day,  and  quickly  agreed  to  by  the 
government,  which  hastened  to  remove  its  two 
most  unpopular  ministers,  Trefurt  and  Rege- 
nauer,  and  to  appoint  as  representative  to 
the  Diet  in  place  of  the  generally  disliked  Von 


Germany  and  Baden  1 1 

Bllttersdorf,  the  Liberal  leader  Professor  Karl 
Welcker. 

In  Bavaria,  the  "  March  Movement,"  as  the 
mad  spasm  was  called,  resulted  in  the  abdi- 
cation of  the  old  roud,  King  Ludwig  I.  In 
Wiirtemberg,  quiet  was  brought  about  by 
lavish  promises  and  the  appointment  of  a 
Liberal  ministry.  In  Austria  it  led  to  the 
fall  of  Prince  Metternich,  on  whose  policy  of 
government  all  the  evils  of  repression  were 
blamed.  Prussia,  the  leading  exponent  of  re- 
actionary government,  suffered  most.  In  Ber- 
lin, many  persons  were  killed  in  riots,  ij'^ing 
Friedrich  Wilhelm  IV.  of  Prussia,  more  than 
any  other  king  or  prince  in  Germany,  clung  j/^ 
to  the  old  notion  of  holding  his  office  by 
divine  right.J  The  people  clamoured  for  more 
liberty,  large  masses  congregated,  barricades 
were  erected   in  the  streets,  even   befoPe  the  ,  /  cJ 

Schloss,    and    on   March    i8th    many   citizens  ' 

fell  fighting  before  the  advancing  soldiers. 
The  fright  of  the  people,  the  booming  cannon,  \ 
the  rattle  of  musketry,  and  the  flames  of  burn-  ^ 
ino-  buildinors  made  it  a  scene  of  .horror.  The 
Prince  of  Prussia,  as  the  brother  of  the  King 
and  heir  presumptive  to  the  throne  was  called, 
commanded  the  troops.  Ruthlessly  he  pro- 
ceeded against  the  men  behind  the  barricades, 


12      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

the  artillery  firing  grape  and  canister,  sparing 
no  one.  His  title  of  "  Canister  Prince " 
gained  here  clung  to  him  for  twenty  years, 
until,  as  a  result  of  the  Franco-German  war, 
he  was  made  Emperor  of  a  finally  united  Ger- 
many, and  became  a  popular  hero.  At  5 
o'clock  the  next  morning,  the  King  commanded 
an  armistice  by  both  parties,  but  not  before 
five  hundred  persons  had  fallen  dead  and 
wounded  on  both  sides.  During  the  night  he 
wrote  his  famous  address  "  To  my  beloved 
Berliners,"  in  which  he  asked  them  to  return 
to  peace  and  vacate  the  barricades,  to  "listen 
to  the  fatherly  voice  of  your  King.  Forget 
what  has  happened  as  I  shall  forget  it "  ;  and 
adding,  "  the  Queen  unites  her  tearful  en- 
treaties with  mine." 

The  troops  were  ordered  to  march  from  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  barricades.  The  next 
day  a  large  mass  of  people  advanced  before 
the  Schloss,  bearing  on  their  shoulders  the 
biers  on  which  lay  the  corpses  of  many  of 
those  killed  by  the  soldiers  the  night  be- 
fore, covered  with  flowers  and  laurel,  their 
wounds  uncovered,  bloody  and  ghastly,  as 
they  fell.  In  answer  to  the  threatening 
clamour,  the  King,  with  the  Queen  leaning 
on    his  arm,   came   out  on   the   balcony  with 


Germany  and  Baden  13 

bared  head,  and  looked  at  the  horribly  dis- 
figured corpses,  while  a  choir  sang  the^eau- 
tiful  hymn,  Jesus  meme  Zicversicht.  "^ 

The  popular  outcry  against  the  Prince  of 
Prussia  did  not  abate  with  the  concessions 
made  by  the  King.  The  Prince  was,  there- 
fore, directed  by  his  brother  to  hasten  from 
Berlin  and  undertake  a  journey  to  England, 
and  on  the  morning  of  the  19th  he  left  like 
a  fugitive  from  justice,  in  citizen's  dress,  his 
beard  shaved  off,  and  hurried  secretly  out  of 
the  kinordom. 

The  Preliminary  Parliament  met  in  Frank- 
fort on  the  day  set.  As  there  were  no  seats 
in  the  Romer,  the  five  hundred  persons  who 
constituted  the  body  organised  standing,  by 
electing  the  old  Baden  Professor,  Mittermaier 
of  Heidelberg,  President,  and  then  marched  in 
pairs  to  St.  Paul's  Church,  where  the  sessions 
were  to  be  held.  It  was  a  beautiful  spring  day. 
Bells  were  ringing,  cannon  thundered,  and  the 
houses  were  tastefully  decorated,  while  the 
streets  were  lined  by  densely  packed,  enthusi- 
astic crowds.  The  first  business  was  to  take 
action  on  the  programme  reported  by  the 
Committee  of  Seven,  authorising  the  work  to 
be  done  by  the  Assembly. 

Struve  spoke  earnestly  against  the  report, 


1 4      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

and  presented  one  of  his  own,  containing,  as 
he  said,  "  the  principles,  with  the  help  of 
which  alone  Germany  can  be  happy,  honoured, 
and  free."  The  most  surprising  proposition 
C  in  this  programme  was  the  one  asking  for  the 

Y*-^ V/i     establishment  of  a  republican  form  of  govern- 
fSj.  ment  modelled  on  that  of  the  United  States. 

Hecker,  Struve's  colleague  from  Baden,  also 
'  presented  a  radical  proposal.     He  moved  that 
the  Assembly  declare  its  permanency  until  the 
election    and    organisation    of    the     National 
Assembly.     If  the  step  suggested  by  Hecker 
had  been  taken  the  Diet  would  at  once  have 
been  set  aside,  and  the  Preliminary  Parliament 
as  a  revolutionary  government  taken  its  place. 
The  majority  were  too  conservative  to  take 
extreme  steps,  and  both  Struve  and   Hecker 
met  with  little  encouragement,  and  the  report 
of  the  Committee  of  Seven  was  adopted  with- 
out qualification.     The  election  of  the  mem- 
bers  of   a    National    Assembly   was   ordered. 
The  electoral    districts  were  to   contain   fifty 
thousand  Inhabitants,  each  to  have  one  repre- 
sentative,  the  small  states  containing   a   less 
population  than  fifty  thousand  also  being  en- 
titled to  one  representative.     The  acts  of  the 
Parliament  were  at  once  concurred  in  by  the 
Diet. 


Germany  and  Baden 


15 


A  committee  of  fifty  was  appointed  to  watch 
over  and  direct  the  elections,  and  to  some  ex- 
tent act  conjointly  with  the  Diet.  On  the 
last  day  of  the  session  the  Assembly  declared 
in  favour  of  the  "sovereignty  of  the  people," 
and  decided  that  the  people,  and  they  alone, 
were  entitled  to  elect  the  National  Assembly. 

Hecker  and  Struve  returned  to  Baden  with 
their  high  hopes  shattered.  They,  with  most 
of  the  other  Baden  representatives,  were  re- 
publicans, while  the  large  majority  of  the 
Preliminary  Parliament  were  in  favour  of  a 
constitutional  monarchy.  When  they  reached 
home  they  found  their  government  already 
taking  steps  to  suppress  the  expected  republi- 
can demonstrations.  The  Diet,  which  had 
been  asked  for  assistance,  had  sent  the  Eighth 
Army  Corps,  consisting  of  Hesse- Darmstadt 
and  other  foreign  soldiers.  This  increased 
the  excitement  among  the  liberty -loving 
people  of  Baden  still  more.  They  saw  in 
it  the  first  of  the  reactionary  measures  of  the 
government.  The  next  move  of  the  govern- 
ment was  on  April  8th,  when  it  arrested 
Joseph  Fickler,  who,  next  to  Hecker,  was  the.^ 
hero  of  the  people  of  South  Baden.  Hecker, 
although  a  member  of  the  Second  Chamber 
and  privileged  from  arrest,  knew  that  he  would 


1 6     The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

be  the  next  to  suffer,  and  fled  to  Constance, 
where  he  arrived  on  the  nth.  Struve  was 
already  there,  being  also  in  danger  of  arrest, 
and  having  left  his  home  in  Mannheim  im- 
mediately on  his  return  from  Frankfort.  At 
Constance  many  republicans,  in  addition  to 
Hecker  and  Struve,  had  congregated,  and  a 
revolution  was  decided  upon,  the  military  being 
counted  upon  to  unite  with  them  in  force.  The 
number  of  the  revolutionists  rapidly  increased, 
until  four  or  five  thousand  had  gathered, 
when  the  fighting  began.  It  was  an  ill-ad- 
vised, mad  effort,  and  ended  in  dismal  failure. 
/  The  troops,   instead  of   fraternising  with   the 

\         revolutionists,  opened  fire  on  them,  and  the 
\        motley,  badly  armed  horde  was  quickly  scat- 
•       tered.     The  leaders  fled  to  Switzerland,  where 
\J      Hecker  for  a  few  months  published  his  Volks- 
freund,    and    in    September    sailed    for    the 
United    States,    having    first    given    out   an 
address   to   the    German    people,    which,    for 
eloquence  and    pathos,   is  hardly  excelled   in 
the  German  language.     For  years  afterwards 
he  was  the  idol  of  the  people  of  Baden  ;  his 
name,  above  all  others,  was  the  one  to  conjure 
with,   in   all   South    Germany,   and  wherever 
liberty  was  struggling  to  gain  a  foothold. 
In  September,  after  the  disorders  in  Frank- 


\ 

Germany  and  Baden  17 

fort  occasioned    by   the   disgraceful   peace  of 
Malm5,   Struve    made  another   attempt,  wild  O 

and  reckless  as  the  previous  one,  to  overthrow  ^ — ^ 
the  government  of  Baden,  and  at  Lorrach, 
near  the  Swiss  frontier,  proclaimed  a  republic. 
This  effort  was  also  quickly  suppressed,  Struve 
was  captured  and  imprisoned,  and  only  freed 
by  the  breaking  out  of  the  revolution  of  1849. 

On  May  18,  1848,  the  first  German  National , 
Assembly  met.  It  was  a  great  day  for  Frank- 
fort, and  in  all  Germany  it  was  observed  as  a 
holiday.  The  flower  of  Germany  was  com- 
prised in  its  membership.  Here  were  pro- 
fessors from  Heidelberg,  Freiburg,  Bonn, 
Giessen,  Halle,  Jena,  and  Wiirzburg.  There 
was  the  professor  and  poet,  Arndt,  and  the 
poet  of  the  people,  Uhland,  the  most  popular  / 
of  all  the  living  German  poets ;  Dr.  Dollinger/^ 
the  leader  of  the  German  Catholics ;  Jacob 
Grimm,  the  lexicographer,  and  scores  of  others 
as  well  known.  Many  famous  men,  who  had 
been  in  prison  or  exile  for  the  opinions  they 
held,  had  been  elected.  Old  Father  Fried- 
rich  Ludwig  Jahn,  the  great  teacher  of  ^urn- 
en  (gymnastics),  soldier  in  Liitzow's  Free- 
Corps  in  the  war  against  France,  who  had 
been  persecuted  for  years  by  the  Prussian 
government,  was  one  of  the  number.     There 


1 8      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

were  few  experienced  politicians  among  them. 
They  were  men  of  sentiment. 

The  first  and  most  pressing  work  of  the 
Parliament  was  the  formation  of  a  Provisional 
Central  Power,  into  whose  hands  were  to  be 
given  the  executive  powers  of  the  new  Na- 
tional Government.  This  question  caused  a 
number  of  lengthy  debates,  there  being  so 
many  divergent  views  in  the  Parliament. 
,£^  Finally,  on  June  28th,  it  was  decided  to 
"  confine  the  power  to  one  man,  who  was  to 
be  known  as  the  Vice-Regent  of  the  Empire 
(Jleichsverweser),  whose  authority  was  to  be 
exercised  through  an  imperial  ministry  ap- 
pointed by  him.  The  next  day  Archduke 
John  of  Austria  was  elected  to  the  place,  and 
soon  every  government  in  Germany  had  rec- 
ognised the  new  Central  Power.  The  Na- 
tional Government  was  now  in  existence,  but 
soon  became  the  butt  of  wits,  and  many  a 
covert  sneer  and  poor  jest  was  perpetrated 
at  its  expense.     A  poet  of  the  time  wrote : 

"  Centralgewalt,  Centralgewalt ! 

Wie  wdchtig  das,  une  prdchtig  schallt, 
Zum  Ungluck  aber  fehlt  ihr  halt. 
Bis  jetzt  tioch  Centrum  und  Gewalt." 

The   next  startlinsf  event  in  the   National 
Assembly  was  the  action  taken  on  the  armis- 


Germany  and  Baden  19 

tice  of  Malmo.  Early  in  April  Schleswig- 
Holstein,  owing  to  trouble  about  the  succes- 
sion to  the  Dukedom  of  Schleswig  and  its 
separation  from  Holstein  and  attachment  to 
Denmark,  had  cut  loose  from  the  latter 
power.  Soon  an  overwhelming  force  of 
Danish  troops  entered  Schleswig,  and  the 
Schleswigers,  strengthened  though  they  were 
by  volunteers  from  Germany,  were  defeated. 
Then  Prussia  sent  troops  to  assist  the  Schles- 
wigers, and  the  Diet  sent  more  troops,  the 
whole  being  placed  under  the  command  of 
the  Prussian  General  von  Wrangel.  The 
Danes  were  beaten  back,  and  on  May  ist 
Von  Wrangel  had  entered  Jutland.  The 
King  of  Prussia  now  saw  in  the  movement 
only  a  troublesome  revolution,  and  when 
Russia  and  England  declared  that  they  would 
not  see  Denmark  despoiled  of  territory  the 
Prussians  granted  an  armistice  of  seven 
months,  the  treaty  being  signed  at  Malmo, 
a  small  city  in  Sweden.  As  this  armistice  was 
carried  on  in  the  name  of  the  Imperial  Power 
it  was  necessary  to  have  the  action  ratified  by 
the  National  Assembly. 

When  the  first  news  of  the  granting  of  the 
armistice  reached  Frankfort  on  August  30th 
a  storm   of   protest  went   up,    as   Schleswig- 


20      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Holstein  had  been  represented  in  the  Prelim- 
inary Parliament  and  was  already  recognised 
as  a  German  state,  and  the  whole  matter  was 
looked  upon  as  treasonable.  For  several  days 
the  question  was  debated,  and  on  September 
5th,  by  a  majority  of  fourteen,  the  ratification 
of  the  armistice  was  defeated. 

The  Imperial  Ministers  resigned  the  same 
evening.  Dahlmann,  the  man  who  did  most  to 
defeat  the  measure,  was  called  upon  to  form  a 
new  ministry,  which  he  attempted  to  do,  but 
after  repeated  efforts,  on  September  8th  gave 
it  up,  the  former  ministers  having  retained 
their  offices  in  the  meantime.  On  September 
14th  the  matter  of  the  ratification  again  came 
before  Parliament,  and,  after  debating  the 
question  for  three  days,  the  motion  to  ratify 
the  armistice  was  finally  adopted  on  the  i6th. 
This  result  caused  the  greatest  anger  among 
the  populace  of  Frankfort,  and  a  new  insurrec- 
tion broke  out.  Barricades  were  erected  in 
the  streets,  particularly  around  St.  Paul's 
Church,  and  after  the  session  of  the  i8th, 
Prussian  and  Austrian  troops  attacked  the 
barricades  and  many  were  killed  and  wounded 
on  both  sides ;  but  the  uprising  was  sup- 
pressed. 

Austria    dealt    the    National    Assembly    a 


Germany  and  Baden  21 

severe  blow  on  November  9th  by  executing 
Robert  Blum,  of  Cologne,  perhaps  the  fore- 
most Liberal  member  of  that  body.  A  revolu- 
tion was  in  progress  in  Vienna.  Blum  and 
Julius  Froebel,  another  Deputy,  had  been  sent 
by  the  members  of  the  "  Left,"  as  the  Liberals 
were  styled,  to  Vienna  to  convey  the  thanks 
and  good  wishes  of  that  party  to  the  Austrian 
Reichstag  and  the  Municipal  Council  of 
Vienna  for  their  '*  manly  behaviour  "  during  the 
trying  times  which  the  people  of  German  Aus- 
tria and  Hungary  were  then  experiencing.  In 
Vienna  the  people  were  in  control  of  affairs 
when  the  two  Deputies  arrived,  the  Emperor 
having  fled  to  Olmutz.  Shortly  afterward 
Prince  Windischgratz,  the  Austrian  Field 
Marshal,  arrived  with  an  army  of  ninety 
thousand  men  and  besieged  the  city.  When 
the  place  finally  surrendered,  Blum  and  Froe- 
bel were  both  arrested,  and  Blum,  after  a  trial 
by  court-martial,  was  shot.  In  vain  he  set 
forth  his  claim  of  being  privileged  from  arrest, 
beingamemberof  the  National  Assembly.  "  He 
is  the  most  notable  of  the  German  anarchists. 
His  colleagues  will  learn  that  we  are  not  afraid 

o 

of  them,"  said  Baron  von  Hiibner  to  Prince 
Schwarzenburg,  the  new  Austrian  Prime  Min- 
ister,   while    urging    Blum's    execution.      All 


22      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

over  Germany  memorial  services  were  held 
for  this  patriot.  Freiligrath  wrote  a  mourn- 
fully beautiful  poem  on  the  event,  and  even 
to-day  Blum  is  looked  upon  as  Germany's 
greatest  political  martyr. 

On  September  19th  the  debate  on  the  con- 
stitution commenced.  This  instrument  had 
been  prepared  by  a  committee,  and  was 
fashioned  after  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States.  It  was  debated  and  adopted  section 
by  section.     No  section  created  more  conster- 

LJ  <^'  nation  among  the  people  of  high  lineage  than 
_the    one    abolishing    the    hereditary    nobility. 

/  q  On  March  27,  1849,  ^he  entire  instrument  had 

been  acted  upon.  It  provided  for  the  election 
of  an  Emperor,  whose  position  should  be  he- 
reditary in  his  family.  The  next  day  the 
election  took  place,  and,  by  a  vote  of  two 
hundred  and  ninety  to  two  hundred  and  forty- 
eight,  who  did  not  vote,  King  Friedrich 
Wilhelm  IV.  of  Prussia  was  elected,  and  a 
committee  of  thirty-two  appointed,  on  which 
were  members  from  all  the  German  states, 
except  Austria,  to  notify  him  of  his  election 
and  receive  his  hoped-for  acceptance.  The 
King  of  Prussia's  pride  was  hurt — he  would 
not  receive  the  Imperial  Crown  from  a  self- 
constituted  body.      In   addition,   he  had  long 


Germany  and  Baden  23 

been  chafing  under  the  assumed  power  of 
the  National  Assembly,  and  had  said  to  his 
royal  colleagues  that  they  must  make  front 
against  "the  present  usurpation."  He  would 
have  been  glad  to  become  Emperor  by  the 
votes  of  the  kings  and  princes  of  Germany. 
He  believed  the  National  Assembly  had  no 
crown  to  dispose  of  without  their  concurrence, 
and  that  if  they  attempted  to  do  so  their  act 
would  be  one  of  revolution.  He  hesitated 
for  some  weeks  and  finally,  on  April  21st, 
declined. 

At   this    time    twenty-nine  of   the   German      ^-v 
governments  had   already  acknowledged    the      ( 
binding  force  of  the  constitution.  \ 

A  perfect  storm  arose  all  over  Germany  in 
favour  of  the  constitution.  Only  Prussia,  Sax- 
ony, Hanover,  and  Bavaria  refused  to  admit 
its  validity.  In  the  last  days  of  April  Saxony 
called  on  Prussia  for  assistance,  her  people 
having  arisen  against  the  government  on 
account  of  the  stand  taken  by  the  Saxon  King. 
On  May  5th  the  Prussians  arrived  at  Dresden, 
and,  after  a  few  days  of  bloody  work,  crushed 
the  rebellion.  The  people  of  the  Rhine-Pala- 
tinate of  Bavaria  arose  as  one  man  for  the  same 
cause.  Finally  came  the  troubles  in  Liberal  j 
Baden.     Here  the  Grand  Duke  had  declared 


24      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

in  favour  of  the  constitution,  but  a  large  ma- 
jority of  his  subjects  did  not  believe  he  was 
sincere  in  his  expressions,  and  took  up  arms 
for  the  cause.  The  leaders  of  the  movement, 
although  republicans  at  heart,  and  ultimately 
aiming  at  the  establishment  of  a  republic,  had 
learned  enough  in  the  last  year  to  know  that 
Germany  was  not  yet  ripe  for  that  form  of 
government,  and  that  to  win  the  present  fight 
the  contest  must  be  carried  on  under  the  ban- 
ner of  the  imperial  constitution. 

In  the  little  state  of  Baden,  the  whole  battle 
for  a  constitutional  Germany  was  now  fought, 
and  fought  by  the  people  of  Baden  alone,  ex- 
cept for  such  assistance  as  was  given  by  the 
people  of  the  Palatinate  and  the  few  persons 
from  other  countries  who  joined  the  army. 

That  the  movement  was  finally  suppressed 
by  overwhelming  numbers  from  various  parts 
of  Germany,  but  mainly  from  Prussia,  is 
histor}\  The  reason  for  this  result  probably 
lies  in  the  fact  that  Baden  was  too  small  a 
country  to  stand  alone  in  such  a  struggle,  and 
the  assistance  expected,  or  at  least  hoped  for, 
from  the  outside  not  arriving,  the  patriots 
were  compelled  to  yield,  or,  to  be  exact,  to 
permit  themselves  to  be  driven  out  of  the 
country  —  for  only  the  troops  in  the  fortress 


Germany  and  Baden  25 

of  Rastatt  surrendered,  and  that  long  after  all 
hope  of  succour  was  at  an  end.  Had  Baden 
been  as  large  as  France,  nothing  could  have 
prevented  the  formation  and  maintenance  of  a 
republic.  As  it  was,  Prussia  and  other  strong 
German  kingdoms  leagued  together,  fearful  of 
the  influence  a  republic  might  exert  in  their 
own  countries,  and,  in  a  short  but  decisive 
campaign,  defeated  the  little  army,  shot  those 
of  its  leaders  who  were  captured,  took  pos- 
session of  the  country  by  armed  force,  and  at 
the  points  of  their  bayonets  again  seated  the 
Grand  Duke  on  the  throne  of  his  fathers. 


CHAPTER   II 

SPREAD  OF  REPUBLICANISM  IN  BADEN  — 
ORGANISATION  OF  CLUBS  — QUESTION 
OF  THE  IMPERIAL  CONSTITUTION  — 
REVOLUTIONARY  MEETING  AT  OFFEN- 
BURG  AND  MUTINY  OF  THE  ARMY 


T' 


*HE    republicanism    existent   in    Baden    in 
1848  and  1849  ^^'^^  largely  the  effect  of 
the  influences  resulting  from  its  close  prox- 
imity  to    the    new    republic   of    France    and 
the  old  republic  of  Switzerland  ;  the  dialect, 
habits,   customs,   and  even   occupations  of  its 
A      people  were  similar  to  those  of  the  inhabitants 
>,  ^    of   the   province    of    France   and    cantons    of 
^^  ^  Switzerland    adjoining    it.       In    1849    Baden 

comprised  the  same  area  as  now,  5821  square 
miles.  It  consists  of  a  long,  narrow  strip  of 
land,  bounded  on  the  north  by  Hesse  and 
Bavaria,  on  the  east  by  WiJrtemberg,  on  the 
south  by  Switzerland,  with  the  river  Rhine 
and  Lake  Constance  intervening,  and  on  the 
west  by  Alsace,   at  that   time    a  province  of 

26 


spread  of  Republicanism  27 

France,  but  now  a  part  of  Germany,  and  by 
the  Rhine -Palatinate  of  Bavaria,  with  the 
Rhine  also  dividing  them  from  Baden.  Its 
population  at  this  time  numbered  nearly  a 
million  and  a  half. 

The  republicans  of  Baden  had  been  close 
students  of  the  literature  of  the  first  French 
Revolution.  They  saw  much  to  emulate  in 
that  movement,  without  condoning  its  cruel- 
ties. By  their  enemies  they  began  to  be 
denominated  by  the  terror- inspiring  word 
"  reds,"  the  red  flag  and  red  emblems  being 
everywhere  recognised  as  the  insignia  of  the 
republic,  that  colour  being  said  to  denote 
liberty,  equality,  and  fraternity. 

The  republican  leaders  were  everywhere 
beginning  to  use  the  words  and  phrases  com- 
mon in  France  during  the  time  of  Danton, 
Robespierre,  and  Marat,  but  the  idea  never 
entered  their  minds  of  establishing  a  social- 
istic or  communistic  republic,  or  of  permitting 
butchery  and  crime  such  as  were  rampant  in 
Paris  in  1 793  and  1 794.  Their  German  blood 
revolted  against  this  barbarity. 

The  names  of  Hecker  and  Struve,  the  fear- 
less preachers  of  republicanism,  were  still  the 
most  popular  in  the  country,  although  the 
one  was  in  the  United  States  and  the  other 


28    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

confined  in  a  dungeon  at  Rastatt.  The  news- 
papers continued  as  radical  as  ever,  notwith- 
standing that  their  editors  were  threatened, 
and  even  imprisoned.  The  work  which  the  two 
great  repubUcans  had  begun  never  stopped. 
After  their  disappearance  the  leadership  had 
been  taken  up  by  Lorenz  Brentano,  the 
famous  lawyer  of  Mannheim.  It  now  became 
his  chief  work  in  life  to  make  a  compact 
and  thoroughly  strong  political  organisation  of 
clubs.  On  July  22,  1848,  the  government  had 
dissolved  all  the  democratic  clubs  {Vereine) 
because  of  their  well-known  republican  tenden- 
cies, but  in  the  latter  part  of  1848  the  Na- 
tional Assembly,  in  defining  the  fundamental 
rights  of  the  people  {Grwidrechte),  had  said, 
"  Germans  have  the  right  to  organise  clubs, 
which  right  shall  not  be  circumscribed  by 
proscriptive  laws." 

Brentano  saw  his  opportunity,  and  at  once 
formed  at  Mannheim  a  Provisional  State  Com- 
mittee {Landesausschuss)  of  the  People's 
Clubs  {Volksvereine)  of  Baden,  of  which  he 
was  made  President,  and  Amand  Goegg, 
another  lawyer  of  that  city,  Vice-President. 
The  Jacobin  Club  of  France  was  in  the 
minds  of  the  projectors  as  their  model.  They 
sent  organisers   all    over    Baden    to    institute 


Spread  of  f^epublicanism  29 

clubs,  all  to  be  subject  to  the  central  com- 
mittee at  Mannheim.  On  January  7,  1849, 
a  letter  was  prepared  explaining  the  system 
on  which  the  clubs  were  to  be  organised, 
which  was  sent  to  all  known  sympathisers 
with  the  movement  in  the  state ;  and  the 
next  day,  in  a  circular  dated  from  Mannheim, 
all  lovers  of  the  cause  were  urged  to  use 
their  influence  for  the  organisation  of  People's 
Clubs  in  their  respective  places  of  resi- 
dence. The  circular  contained  these  signifi- 
cant words : 

"Through  the  work  of  the  political  clubs  which 
existed  in  the  whole  of  France  ...  at  the  out- 
break of  the  February  Revolution  there  stood  ready  in 
every  place  in  that  country  men  of  the  republican  party 
who  had  been  previously  designated  for  the  purpose, 
and  who  rapidly  carried  out  the  decrees  of  the  Pro- 
visional government." 

In  a  wonderfully  short  time  clubs  were  or- 
ganised in  every  city,  town,  and  village  in 
Baden.  These  were  attached  to  district 
{Kreis)  associations,  which  were  directly 
responsible  to  the  Provisional  State  Com- 
mittee at  Mannheim.  Soon  the  clubs  at- 
tained an  immense  membership,  the  former 
democratic  and  March  clubs  which  had  been 
suppressed     now     being     transformed     into 


so      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

People's  Clubs,  until  shortly  before  the  out- 
break of  the  revolution  there  were  almost 
four  hundred  of  them  in  Baden,  containing 
a  membership  of  more  than  twenty  thousand 
persons,  not  including  the  affiliated  working- 
men,  turn,  and  other  clubs,  nor  the  army, 
together  embracing  a  majority  of  the  male 
adult  population  of  the  state.  On  January 
21,  1849,  the  Baden  Minister  of  the  Interior 
sent  a  note  to  the  Imperial  Ministry  at  Frank- 
fort pointing  out  the  dangerous  character  of 
the  clubs  and  asking  permission  to  suppress 
them.  The  Imperial  Ministry,  however,  would 
not  consent  to  this. 

The  clubs  had  now  gained  a  vast  amount  of 
influence,  and  the  public  meetings  called  by 
them  were  crowded  to  overflowing  by  thought- 
ful and  enthusiastic  masses  of  people. 

In  March  a  new  cause  of  trouble  arose. 
The  imperial  constitution  for  all  Germany 
had  just  been  adopted  by  the  National  As- 
sembly, when  it  was  discovered  that  the 
three  or  four  large  and  powerful  states  would 
not  be  bound  by  the  instrument,  and  that 
the  Kingf  of  Prussia  had  even  declined  to  ac- 
cept  tbe  election  of  Emperor  under  it,  for 
the  reason  that  the  election  came  from  the 
hands  of  the  people.     The  fires  of  revolution 


Spread  of  Republicanism  31 

now  began  to  glow  in  a  number  of  places  in 
Prussia,  in  Saxony,  and  in  the  Rhine-Palatinate 
of  Bavaria. 

The  government  of  Baden,  in  common  with 
almost  all  of  the  smaller  states,  had  acknow- 
ledged the  new  constitution  to  be  binding,  but 
took  no  steps  to  influence  action  in  the  same 
direction  on  the  part  of  the  larger  powers. 

The  Baden  republicans  and  radicals  of  all 
types  now  joined  hands,  and  agitated  for  the 
constitution,   and   demanded  that   the   Baden 
government    make    an    honest    and   vigorous 
effort  to  induce  the  other  German   states  to 
recognise  it  as  the  primary  law  of  Germany. 
The  agitation  extended  to  the  standing  army, 
consisting  of  some  fifteen  thousand  men,  where 
the  German  national  feeling  was  strong,  and 
where  also  many  causes  for  complaint  existed 
among  the  common  soldiers  and  non-commis- 
sioned   officers.      The    People's    Clubs   were 
extended  to  the  garrisons,  and  many  of  the 
soldiers   were    induced   to    become    members. 
This  was  particularly  true  in  historic  Rastatt, 
where  the  glorious  memories  of  Prince  Eugene, 
Marshal  Villars,  and  the  Wars  of  the  Spanish 
Succession,  of  the  Congress  after  the  peace  of 
Campo    Formio,   and   of   the   young  General 
Bonaparte,  were  an  inspiration  to  great  deeds 


32      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

to  the  dissatisfied  soldiers.  Here,  in  1841,  the  / 
German  Confederacy  had  commenced  the  erec- 
tion of  a  fortress  as  a  protection  against  the 
French,  and  now  five  or  six  thousand  Baden 
soldiers  were  quartered  there.  As  early  as 
April  the  disquiet  in  this  garrison  gave  the 
government  cause  for  alarm.  Struve  was  a 
prisoner  in  one  of  the  casemates  of  the  fortress, 
and,  on  April  17th,  his  brilliant  and  beautiful 
wife  came  to  the  city  after  having  been  re- 
leased the  day  before  from  her  imprisonment 
in  Freiburg,  where  she  had  languished,  since 
the  preceding  September,  for  having  assisted 
her  husband  in  his  uprising  of  that  month.  In 
the  preceding  October  her  husband  had  sent 
her  from  his  prison  a  touching  poetic  remem- 
brance : 

"  In  des  Kerker's  dunkler  Nacht^ 

Blick  ich  auf  jnein  Leben, 
Kdmpfen  mit  der  Uebermacht 

Dieses  war  niein  Streben. 
Wen'ge  Freunde  in  der  Welt 

Standen  niir  zur  Seite, 
Einer  aber  der  erhdlt 

Aufrecht  mich  im  St  retted 

The  last  two  lines  were  Struve's  tribute  to 
her  loyalty.  On  being  liberated  from  her 
own  imprisonment,  she  had  therefore  hurried 


spread  of  Republicanism  33 

to  Rastatt  to  be  near  him.  She  was  allowed 
to  see  him  only  once,  but  decided  to  stay  in 
the  town  and  win  the  soldiers  and  citizens  to 
his  dearly  loved  cause.  By  her  tact,  shrewd- 
ness, and  passionate  earnestness  she  soon  had 
the  townspeople  as  well  as  the  garrison  en- 
thusiastically working  against  the  government. 
Many  others  were  also  there  for  the  same 
purpose.  Every  tavern  and  every  brewery 
became  a  seat  of  the  democratic  propaganda. 
The  two  previous  uprisings  furnished  material 
for  agitation.  The  soldiers  were  requested 
not  to  use  their  arms  against  their  friends  and 
relatives ;  the  wrongs  of  the  people  were  dis- 
cussed and  the  ballad  of  Hecker  sung.  This 
song,  although  written  in  derision  of  Hecker's 
uprising,  was  to  be  heard  everywhere  during 
the  short-lived  revolution.  Line  soldiers, 
national  guardsmen,  volunteers,  legionaries,  in 
quarters,  on  the  march,  or  in  camp,  all  sang : 

"  Seht,  da  sieht  der  grosse  Becker, 

Eine  Feder  auf  dem  Hut, 
Seht,  da  steht  der  Volkserwecker, 

Lechzend  nach  Tyrannenblut  j 
Wasserstiefeln,  dicke  Sohlen, 
Sdbeln  tragi  er  und  Pistolen." 

In  the  beginning  of  May,  ominous  signs  of 
the  impending  crisis  were  everywhere  to  be 


34      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

seen.  On  the  4th  the  Provisional  State  Com- 
mittee sent  out  a  notice  addressed  to  the 
"  People  of  Baden,"  calling  for  a  meeting  of 
representatives  of  all  district  clubs  to  meet  at 
Offenburg,  the  small  but  wealthy  city  located 
at  the  entrance  of  the  beautiful  Kinzig  Valley 
')  of  the  Black  Forest,  on  Saturday,  May  12th, 
"  to  discuss  the  critical  aspect  of  affairs  in  the 
entire  fatherland,"  and  also  calling  a  public 
meeting  at  the  same  place  for  noon  the  next 
day,  to  which  the  people  from  all  parts 
of  Baden  were  invited.  Something  extremely 
alarming  was  expected  to  result  from  the  two 
meetings,  and  all  Baden  watched  anxiously 
for  the  outcome. 

The  congress  of  the  representatives  of  the 
clubs  met  at  12  o'clock  noon,  on  the  day 
designated,  in  the  Hotel  to  the  Zdhringer 
Hof,  with  closed  doors.  The  meeting  was 
opened  with  an  address  by  Amand  Goegg. 
After  dwelling  on  the  recent  great  increase  in 
the  number  and  membership  of  the  People's 
Clubs,  and  enlarging  on  the  many  advantages 
of  a  political  organisation  like  the  one  already 
mapped  out  by  the  Provisional  State  Com- 
mittee, he  was  elected  chairman  of  the  meet- 
ing, the  vice-chairman  being  Karl  von  Rotteck 
of  Freiburg,  also  a  lawyer.     After  a  debate, 


spread  of  Republicanism  35 

in  which  the  question  as  to  whether  it  was 
advisable  at  once  to  proclaim  a  republic  had 
been  decided  in  the  negative,  a  resolution  was 
adopted  setting  forth  the  most  pressing  griev- 
ances of  the  people,  in  the  form  of  four  de- 
mands on  the  government  :  The  dissolution 
of  the  Chambers,  the  calling  of  a  constituent 
convention  for  Baden,  dismissal  of  the  minis- 
try, and  unconditional  amnesty  for  political 
offenders. 

A  deputation  of  eight  members  of  the 
congress  was  sent  late  the  same  night  to 
Carlsruhe  to  lay  the  resolution  before  the 
government  and  bring  back  its  answer. 

During  the  evening  a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  prepare  the  resolutions  which 
were  to  be  presented  to  the  public  meeting 
the  next  day.  Meanwhile  messengers  had 
arrived,  bringing  news  of  the  mutiny  of  the 
soldiers  at  Rastatt,  and  telling  how  the  Min- 
ister of  War,  General  Hoffman,  who  had 
come  from  Carlsruhe  to  secure  order,  had 
been  compelled  to  fly  for  his  life  from  the  en- 
raged soldiers,  now  complete  masters  of  the 
fortress.  From  Freiburg,  Lorrach,  and  other 
parts  of  Baden,  reports  from  the  army  were  of 
like  tenor. 

Early  Sunday  morning  the  town,  which  had 


36      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

been  prettily  decorated  with  German  flags 
and  festoons  of  green  leaves,  began  to  fill  up. 
Long  train-loads  of  persons  came  in  on  the 
railway,  while  many  more  came  on  foot  and 
in  waggons,  all  dressed  in  their  best  Sunday 
clothes,  joyful  and  singing,  with  red  feathers  V 
or  bands  on  their  hats,  and  the  horses  and 
waggons  gaily  decorated  with  bouquets  of 
flowers  and  ribbons  of  the  same  bright  hue. 
"  Hecker,  hoch ! "  was  the  usual  way  in 
which  one  person  greeted  another  in  the 
streets.  The  excitement  soon  rose  to  fever 
heat ;  messenger  after  messenger  arrived, 
bringing  more  and  more  startling  news  from 
the  army.  A  number  of  non-residents  of 
Baden  had  come,  several  members  of  the  Na- 
tional Assembly  among  them,  including  Franz 
Raveaux  who  came  as  Imperial  Commissioner 
from  Archduke  John,  the  Vice-Regent  of  the 
Empire. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  session  of  the  Deputies 
was  reconvened,  and  this  time  it  was  open  to 
the  public.  It  was  now  almost  impossible  to 
get  through  the  crowds  of  people  who 
thronged  the  street  leading  from  the  railway 
station  to  the  hotel.  New  additions  were 
arriving  constantly. 

On    May   loth,   at    Rastatt,   five    thousand 


Spread  of  Republicanism  37 

soldiers  had,  at  a  public  meeting,  decided  that 
each  company  in  the  garrison  was  to  be  con- 
stituted a  People's  Club,  and  directed  to  send 
a  Deputy  to  the  Offenburg  congress.      When 
these    Deputies  arrived,  they   were    received 
with  the  greatest  enthusiasm.       Arm  in  arm 
with  citizens,  they  entered  the  place  of  meet- 
ing,  wearing    green    twigs    of    oak    on    their 
shakos,  and  bearing  a  black,  red,  and  gold  flag 
before  them.     They  were  greeted  with  end- 
less hurrahs  as   they  marched  in,  and  when 
they  waved  their  flag  over  the  heads  of  the 
assembly,  the  crowd  went  wild.     The  people 
felt  safe  now  that  the  army  was  with   them. 
They  knew  it  was  no  idle  talk  that  the  gov- 
ernment intended  to  use  force  to  suppress  the 
meeting,  if  resolutions  of  a  revolutionary  char- 
acter  were  adopted.      The   permanent   State 
Committee  which  was  to  conduct  the  affairs 
of  the   People's  Clubs  was  then  elected.     A 
list  of  the  persons  to  be  elected  had  been  pre- 
pared by  the  managers  of  the  meeting.     The 
chairman    read  the   list,   and   at    each     name 
asked  those  who  favoured  the  election  of  the 
person  to  hold  up  his  hand,  and  if  a  majority 
were  in  favour  of  the  person  proposed,  he  was 
declared  elected.      In  this  way  twelve  mem- 
bers   and    ten    alternates    were   chosen,   with 


212146 


38      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Brentano  at  their  head.  The  meeting  then 
decided  that  the  newly  elected  body  should 
organise  at  once,  declare  itself  permanent, 
and  migrate  to  Rastatt,  which  was  all  done  in 
the  course  of  the  day  and  evening.  The 
members  of  the  newly  elected  State  Commit- 
tee present  at  the  session  withdrew  just  be- 
fore the  close  of  the  meeting,  in  order  to 
recast  the  propositions  which  were  to  be  pre- 
sented at  the  public  meeting.  The  result 
was  that  the  resolutions  were  much  more 
radical  than  the  requests  already  sent  to 
Carlsruhe,  the  leaders  having  been  moved  to 
take  this  view  by  deputation  after  deputation 
who  were  dissatisfied  with  the  moderate  tone 
of  the  earlier  demands. 

In  the  centre  of  the  town  where  the  street 
widens  into  the  Market-Place,  under  the  green 
trees  opposite  the  Townhall,  a  countless  mul- 
titude had  gathered  to  participate  in  what 
was  expected  would  thereafter  become  a  his- 
toric meeting.  Here  were  the  men  from  the 
Black  Forest  in  unique  costumes,  with  marten- 
fur  caps,  red  vests,  and  black  coats ;  there 
were  white-clothed  turners,  soldiers,  citizens, 
women,  and  girls ;  and  the  red  insignia  every- 
where. 

At  2  o'clock  In  the  afternoon  the  meeting 


spread  of  Republicanism  39 

was  opened,  Goegg  presiding  as  substitute  for 
Brentano,  who,  for  the  last  week,  had  been  ill 
at  Baden-Baden.  The  resolutions  had  been 
put  into  print,  and  were  read  at  the  meeting, 
which  adopted  them  without  debate,  amid  the 
cheers  of  the  populace.  They  were  then  dis- 
tributed broadcast  among  the  crowds  in  the 
town,  and  steps  taken  to  circulate  them  over 
the  whole  of  Baden. 

The  sense  of  the  meeting,  or,  rather,  the 
ideas  of  the  organisers  of  it,  was  set  forth  in 
the  resolutions  under  sixteen  heads.  A  few 
of  the  paragraphs  were  demagogic,  some 
showed  a  keen  insight  into  public  affairs  in 
Baden  as  they  then  existed,  while  to  others 
must  be  given  the  honour  of  being  the  originals 
from  which  long  afterward  many  beneficial 
laws  were  patterned,  not  only  in  Germany,  but 
in  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States.  They 
were  couched  in  German  of  no  uncertain  mean- 
ing. Boldly  this  democratic  assemblage  spoke 
to  its  government.  It  was  told  that  "it  7nust 
unconditionally  recognise  the  imperial  consti- 
tution, and  with  its  entire  armed  force  sup- 
port its  accomplishment  in  other  German 
states  —  first  of  all,  in  the  Palatinate."  In 
almost  peremptory  words  it  was  said,  "  The 
ministry  is  to  be  dismissed,  and  'Citizen'" — 


40      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

a  word  having  a  new  meaning  to  the  phleg- 
matic German  mind,  and  copied  from  French 
revolutionary  times — "Citizen  Brentano,  ad- 
vocate of  the  High  Court  of  Judicature  at 
Mannheim,  and  Citizen  Peter  of  Constance, 
Deputy  to  the  National  Assembly,  are  to  be  in- 
trusted with  the  formation  of  a  new  ministry  "  ; 
that  "  there  must  be  an  immediate  dissolution 
of  the  Chambers ;  and  a  Constituent  Assembly 
called,  which  shall  unite  in  itself  the  collective 
rights  and  sovereignty  of  the  people  of  Baden, 
for  representatives  to  which  all  citizens  of  full 
age  shall  have  the  right  to  vote." 

Every  paragraph  in  the  resolutions  was 
framed  in  words  such  as  one  would  expect 
from  people  who  had  long  been  oppressed 
and  were  suddenly  given  overwhelming 
power.  Each  successive  demand  was  accom- 
panied with  a  veiled  threat.  Thus  it  was 
said :  "  The  people  must  be  armed  without 
delay,  at  the  cost  of  the  state,  and  all  un- 
married men  from  eighteen  to  thirty  years 
of  age  are  at  once  to  be  mobilised  as  the 
first  levy,  and  the  authorities  of  all  those 
districts  which  do  not  at  once  order  the  arm- 
ing of  their  citizens  are  to  be  immediately 
removed."  Again  it  was  stated :  "  Political 
fugitives  are  to  be  called  back  at  once;  the 


Spread  of  Republicanism  4^ 

political,  military,  and  civil  prisoners  are  to 
be  set  free,  and  all  political  prosecutions  are 
to  cease." 

Now  followed  eleven  other  demands,  each 
set  forth  in  the  same  unequivocal  manner. 

"  The  military  court  must  be  dispensed  with.  There 
shall  be  a  free  election  of  officers  in  the  army  ;  the 
standing  army  must  be  blended  with  the  national  guard  ; 
certain  primary  charges  on  land  must  be  collected  with- 
out expense  ;  the  communities  must  unconditionally  be 
declared  independent,  as  well  in  regard  to  the  man- 
agement of  the  communal  property  as  the  election  of 
their  officers,  and  new  elections  must  presently  be  held 
in  the  whole  state  for  such  officers." 

Then  this  self-constituted  meeting  declared 
all  laws  of  the  "  so-called  "  Chambers  enacted 
since  January  17,  1849,  "^H  ^'^d  void  : 

**  Trial  by  jury  must  be  instantly  introduced,  and  not  a 
single  criminal  prosecution  shall  thereafter  be  decided 
by  the  judges  of  the  town  courts.  Red-tapism  is  to  be 
abolished,  and  in  its  stead  shall  be  inaugurated  a  liberal 
administration  of  the  communities  and  other  municipal 
bodies.  There  shall  be  erected  a  national  bank  for 
business  men,  traders,  and  farmers,  as  a  protection  to 
them  against  the  preponderance  of  the  great  capitalists. 
The  old  system  of  taxation  shall  be  done  away  with, 
and  in  its  place  shall  come  a  progressive  income  tax, 
and  finally  there  shall  be  accumulated  a  large  land  pen- 
sion fund,  out  of  which  every  citizen  who  has  become 
incapable  of  working  can  receive  support,  and  the  pen- 
sions for  state  officials  are  to  be  abolished." 


42      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

During  the  progress  of  the  meeting,  the 
Deputies  who  had  been  sent  to  Carlsruhe  to 
present  the  four  demands  to  the  government 
returned  and  reported  to  the  meeting  that  they 
had  met  with  the  Minister  President,  Bekk,  at 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  but  had  failed  to 
obtain  anything  from  him  but  equivocal  an- 
swers. Rehman  and  Von  Rotteck,  members 
of  the  returning  deputation,  added  to  the 
report,  that  when  Minister  Bekk  was  cau- 
tioned not  to  underestimate  the  movement,  he 
had  replied  :  "  It  is  possible  that  this  uprising 
will  be  of  more  consequence  than  the  former 
ones  ;  however,  we  will  find  bayonets  enough  to 
crush  this  one  also."  The  effect  of  these 
words  was  instantaneous.  Where  there  had 
been  hesitation  before,  there  was  determina- 
tion now.  No  one  doubted  any  longer  that 
resort  must  be  had  to  arms. 

After   the   meeting,   the   State   Committee 

V       instructed  the  Offenburg  burgher-guard  to  take 

\      possession  of  the  railway  station,  and  all  the 

I      rolling   stock   to    be    found    there,    and    the 

,   I      Burgomaster  was  threatened  with  force  when 

\  I     he  showed  an   inclination  to  resist.     At   the 

\j      same  time,  the  State  Committee  sent  agents 

to  all  parts  of  Baden  to  call  the  people  to  arms, 

and    messengers   were    sent   to    Brentano   at 


Spread  of  Republicanism  43 

Baden-Baden  notifying  him  of  his  election  to 
the  State  Committee  and  urging  his  acceptance. 
Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  meeting,  an 
immense  railway  train  was  sent  from  the  town 
to  take  the  State  Committee  to  Rastatt  where 
it  could  be  under  the  protection  of  that  fort- 
ress, as  well  as  control  the  soldiery,  it  being 
well  known  that  Minister  Bekk  had  sent  to  the 
Central  Power  at  Frankfort  for  assistance, 
which,  if  granted,  would  undoubtedly  be  used 
first  against  the  State  Committee.  All  the 
cars  were  packed  with  turners,  armed  volun- 
teers {Freis  char  lev),  soldiers,  and  young 
peasants,  many  riding  on  the  roofs  of  the 
coaches ;  and  the  news  of  the  events  of  the 
last  two  days  in  Offenburg  was  carried  by 
them  to  all  parts  of  Baden,  and  soon  in  every 
city,  town,  and  hamlet  the  same  excitement 
prevailed  as  at  Offenburg. 


/ 


CHAPTER  III 

OUTBREAK   IN   CARLSRUHE,    SUNDAY,   MAY 
13TH 

THAT  wonderfully  beautiful  spring  Sun- 
day, May  13th,  was  long  remembered  in 
the  city  of  Carlsruhe.  For  several  days  there 
had  been  an  uneasy  feeling  among  the  people 
and  the  soldiers.  Now  the  soldiers  refused  to 
obey  the  night-signal  to  return  to  their  bar- 
racks ;  then  they  shouted  loudly  Hecker  and 
Struve  "  hocks''  Finally  came  the  news  of  the 
victory  of  the  mutinous  soldiers  at  Rastatt. 

Early  in  the  day  it  was  known  that  a  deputa- 
tion had  been  sent  by  the  congress  in  session  at 
Offenburg  to  make  certain  demands  on  the 
government  which  would  almost  certainly  be 
refused.  Many  of  the  citizens  had  gone  on 
the  railway  to  Offenburg,  and  many  more  had 
gone  to  the  station  to  see  them  off,  and  watch 
the  trains  from  the  upper  country  pass  by, 
with  their  gay  decorations  and  black,  red,  and 
gold    flags.     When   it  became  known   in  the 

44 


Outbreak  in  Carlsruhe  45 

city  that  a  great  crowd  of  turners,  burgher- 
guards,  and  citizens  filled  the  trains,  and  what 
intense  enthusiasm  was  displayed,  a  perfect 
^^paroxysm  of  fear  seized  the  timid  bourgeoisie. 
Doubt  and  uncertainty  were  on  every  mind. 
For  a  while  the  fearful  souls  breathed  easier 
when  the  report  became  current  that  the 
government  had  conceded  everything. 

Carlsruhe,  a  city  with  a  population  of  some- 
thing like  twenty  thousand,  was  the  least  ■' 
revolutionary  of  any  city  in  Baden,  for  here  1  / 
was  the  Court  and  all  the  government  officers  ^ 
and  officials,  and  the  tradesmen,  who  were 
directly  or  indirectly  connected  with  the  Court, 
or  with  its  employes  and  dependants,  and  who 
together  formed  the  larger  part  of  the  popula- 
tion. 

These  personages  composed  the  burgher- 
guard  of  the  city,  which  had  been  organised  in 
pursuance  of  the  law  passed  in  answer  to  the 
March  Movement  of  the  previous  year,  under 
which  all  male  citizens  capable  of  bearing 
arms  were  to  be  organised  into  military  bodies, 
and  in  consequence  of  which  all  the  larger  cities 
and  towns,  and  even  some  of  the  villages,  had 
their  companies  of  armed  men.  In  Carlsruhe  \ 
this  body  numbered  eighteen  hundred  men,  V 
and  was  better  organised  and  equipped  than 


4^      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

the  burgher-guard  of  any  other  place  in  Baden. 
Handsomely  uniformed,  wearing  green  military 
coats  and  pointed  helmets  like  the  Prussians, 
the  officers  covered  with  gold  lace,  huge 
epaulets  depending  from  their  shoulders,  they 
attracted  much  attention  as  they  marched  up 
and  down  the  streets,  with  musicians  playing, 
drums  beating,  and  adjutants  galloping  hither 
and  thither. 

The  government,  with  reason,  counted  on 
the  loyalty  of  these  men.  The  authorities 
also  supposed  that  owing  to  the  smallness  of 
the  number  of  troops  garrisoned  in  the  city, 
there  was  comparative  safety. 

The  democratic,  or  revolutionary,  party 
consisted  of  a  few  lawyers  like  Durr  and 
Ziegler,  a  literary  man  or  two,  merchants  like 
Lanzano,  young  journeymen  mechanics  {Hand- 
werksburscke),  and  a  number  of  other  citizens, 
who  a  week  before  had  organised  a  German 
Club  which  managed  affairs,  in  the  interest  of 
the  People's  Clubs,  in  the  city  and  its  neigh- 
bourhood. 

Before  noon  the  soldiers  and  burgher-guard 
had  been  sworn  on  the  Market- Place  to  sup- 
port the  imperial  constitution,  but  instead  of 
this  satisfying  the  soldiers  of  the  sincerity  of 
the  government,  those  of  the  Bodyguard  In- 


Outbreak  in  Carlsruhe  47 

fantry  Regiment,  stationed  in  the  city,  in  the 
afternoon  took  off  their  much-hated  leggings, 
threw  them  in  front  of  their  barracks,  and 
set  them  on  fire,  this  being  the  unmistakable 
sign  of  revolt  at  every  military  mutiny  which 
had  already  taken  place  in  the  state. 

At  the  mechanics'  guilds  (Zimftvereine)  the 
excitement  also  ran  high.  In  that  of  the 
cabinet-makers,  which  met  in  a  tavern  called 
the  Herberg  on  the  Lange  Strasse  (now  Kaiser 
Strasse),  a  Saxon  refugee  fresh  from  the  barri- 
cades of  Dresden  made  an  address,  and  in 
highly  dramatic  language  told  how  the  Saxon 
people  had  been  shot  down  in  cold  blood 
by  the  Prussian,  Emperor  Alexander  Regi- 
ment, after  they  had  surrendered,  because  they 
had  dared  rise  for  the  imperial  constitution. 
The  speech  had  an  instantaneous  effect,  and 
the  cabinet-makers  and  their  apprentices 
poured  out  into  the  streets,  determined  to 
take  part  in  whatever  should  happen,  and 
more  than  one  of  them  was  afterward  seen 
in  the  front  rank  in  the  subsequent  dis- 
turbances. 

The  streets  of  the  city,  which  on  Sundays 
were  usually  lively,  presented  a  mournful  and 
desolate  appearance.  Doors  and  windows 
were  closed.     Here  and  there  a  head  peered 


\l 


48      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

curiously  and  anxiously  from  a  window. 
Everywhere  a  death-like  stillness  prevailed. 
Only  soldiers  of  different  arms,  burgher- 
guards,  mechanics,  and  a  few  others  were  to 
be  seen. 

The  government  had  sent  a  number  of 
messengers  to  the  Imperial  Ministry  at  Frank- 
fort, requesting  it  to  send  foreign  troops  to 
put  down  the  revolt  of  the  Baden  soldiers. 
The  assistance  asked  for,  however,  did  not 
come.  At  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  two 
companies,  the  7th  and  8th,  of  the  Body- 
guard Infantry  Regiment,  entered  the  city 
from  Bruchsal,  having  been  ordered  here 
by  Bekk,  for  the  protection  of  the  Grand 
Ducal  family.  At  a  meeting  held  in  the 
garden  of  the  Schloss  at  Bruchsal,  before 
starting  on  their  journey,  they  had  burnt 
their  white  leggings.  Many  of  them  entered 
the  city  wearing  red  feathers  and  ribbons  on  J 
their  shakos.  After  being  formed  at  the  rail- 
way station,  they  gave  loud  Hecker  ^^  kocks" 
and  Robert  Blum  "  hocks "  and  some  even 
shouted  "  Long  live  the  republic,"  and  as  they 
marched  along  the  Krieg  Strasse  toward  their 
barracks  on  the  Lange  Strasse,  they  sang  the 
Hecker  song.  The  officers  were  powerless, 
their  orders  being  simply  ignored  or  jeered  at. 


Outbreak  in  Carlsruhe  49 

The  commandant  of  the  garrison,  General 
Schwarz,  and  the  commander  of  the  regiment, 
Colonel  Holtz,  on  the  entry  of  the  soldiers 
into  the  barracks,  immediately  ordered  them  to 
form  in  the  court  of  the  building,  and  directed 
them  to  keep  quiet.  The  soldiers,  failing  to 
obey,  were  commanded  to  go  to  their  sleeping 
apartments,  which  they  also  refused  to  do, 
but,  instead,  threw  aside  their  luggage  and 
arms  and  spread  out  into  the  streets. 

At  eight  o'clock  Colonel  Holtz,  accompanied 
by  seventeen-year-old  Prince  Friedrich,  the 
son  of  the  Grand  Duke,  who  was  a  major  in 
the  regiment,  entered  the  barracks  in  order 
to  put  the  other  six  companies  under  arms, 
but  found  on  the  Place  in  front  of  the  bar- 
racks a  great  crowd  of  citizens  and  soldiers, 
who  were  pushing  into  the  gate,  so  that 
they  could  hardly  pass  in.  At  Holtz's 
appearance  the  soldiers  yelled  "  Here  he 
comes,"  and  formed  a  circle  around  him,  which 
became  closer  and  closer.  The  faces  and 
voices  of  the  men  were  threatening.  Cries 
came  from  beyond  the  circle,  "  Don't  wait  so 
long !  Strike  the  dog  down,  or  give  him  to 
us,  that  we  may  trample  him  underfoot ! " 
Many  soldiers  drew  their  swords  and  tried  to 
get  at  the  officer.     At  last  the  more  moderate 


50      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

soldiers  succeeded  in  getting  him  out  of  the 
barracks  by  a  side  door  into  the  Amalien 
Strasse,  where  his  dwelling  was  located.  The 
Prince  was  compelled  to  make  his  escape  by 
jumping  through  a  back  window,  assisted 
hy  a  friendly  soldier. 

The  residence  of  Colonel  Holtz  was  close 

f  to  the  barracks,  and  while  he  was  escaping  a 

'  great  mass  of  citizens  and  soldiers  had  gathered 

in    front    of    it,    and,    entering,    commenced 

I  breaking  and  destroying  furniture,  mirrors,  oil 

paintings,   and  the    grand    piano ;    chairs  and 

tables  were  thrown  out  of  the  windows  into  the 

street,    where    they   were    broken    up.     The 

feather  beds  were  cut  open  and  the  feathers 

sent  sailing  through  the  air,  so  that  it  looked 

as    if   it   were    snowing.      Then    the   window 

sashes  were  smashed,  doors  broken  down,  and 

even  the  boards  torn  from  the  floors.     A  rope 

was    also    in    readiness    to    hang    the   worthy 

Colonel,  should  he  be  caught. 

After  the  mob  was  satisfied  with  the  de- 
struction wrought  at  Colonel  Holtz's  residence 
it  turned  its  attention  to  the  barracks.  At 
first  shots  were  fired  into  the  building  in  order 
to  create  an  alarm  inside,  then  they  pushed 
in,  broke  open  the  powder  magazines  and 
closets  where  the  clothing  and  arms  were  kept, 


Outbreak  in  Carlsruhe  51 

and  threw  arms  and  clothing  out  of  the  win- 
dows to  the  people  in  the  street  below.  The 
soldiers  broke  down  the  cross-bars  of  the  win- 
dows with  the  stocks  of  their  muskets,  banis- 
ters were  pulled  over,  and  doors  shattered. 

When  all  this  had  been  accomplished,  the 
rabble  of  infantrymen,  artillerists,  and  civilians, 
the  last-named  comprising  fully  one  half  the 
rioters,  being  largely  young  mechanics  and 
turners,  scattered  into  the  streets,  shouting, 
swearing,  shooting.  Instinctively  all  went  in 
the  direction  of  the  Armoury,  situated  at  the 
end  of  the  Lange  Strasse  in  the  direction  of 
the  Durlach  Gate.  The  march  commenced 
down  the  street  with  a  roar  of  clamour  and 
yells  and  an  occasional  shot.  In  the  cross 
streets  which  were  passed  people  looked  on 
with  alarmed  curiosity.  Arriving  at  the  Mar- 
ket-Place,  into  which  the  crowds  turned,  they 
went  to  the  Townhall,  menacing  and  threaten- 
ing. The  Townhall  was  guarded  by  a  hun- 
dred burgher-guards,  stationed  in  the  inner 
hall,  under  the  immediate  command  of  old 
Colonel  Gerber,  the  commander  of  the 
burgher-guards  of  the  city.  As  the  procession 
came  near,  Gerber  went  out  to  meet  it,  and 
asked  what  was  wanted.  As  he  re-entered  the 
building  he  was  followed  into  the  hall  by  an 


52      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

artillery  corporal  named  Giesin,  the  leader  of 
the  mob,  who  demanded  in  the  name  of  his 
comrades  the  release  of  the  political  prisoners 
confined  in  the  dungeons.  He  was  told  there 
were  no  political  prisoners  there ;  that  none 
but  counterfeiters,  thieves,  and  the  like  were 
imprisoned.  "  They  can  stay  there,"  he  re- 
marked. But  persisting  further,  a  number  of 
soldiers  and  political  prisoners  were  finally  set 
free. 

In  the  Market-Place,  the  cry,  "To  the 
Armoury,"  was  renewed  louder  than  before, 
and  the  Lange  Strasse  was  again  entered  and 
the  march  resumed. 

At  the  corner  of  the  Adler  Strasse,  the  call 
rang  out,  "  Cavalry  is  coming."  Thereupon 
a  barricade  was  rapidly  improvised  of  the 
waggons  standing  in  front  of  the  Inn  to  the 
City  of  Strassburg.  The  dragoons,  however, 
only  came  along  the  Lange  Strasse  to  the 
Waldhorn  Strasse,  into  which  they  turned  and 
galloped  toward  the  Grand  Ducal  Schloss. 
When  the  Waldhorn  Strasse  was  reached,  other 
dragoons  were  seen  approaching  from  their 
barracks  adjoining  the  Armoury.  A  squadron 
of  the  I  St  Dragoon  Regiment  of  about  1 70  men, 
under  command  of  Ritt77ieister  La  Roche,  had 
been  sent  to  meet  the  approaching  horde  and 


Outbreak  in  Carlsruhe  53 

stop  its  progress  if  possible.  By  twos  they  came 
up  the  Lange  Strasse.  In  front  of  the  Inn  to 
the  Sun,  about  a  hundred  steps  from  the  bar- 
racks, they  met  the  insurgents.  The  cavalry 
was  commanded  to  spread  out  and  close  up  the 
entire  width  of  the  street.  They  were  greeted 
by  the  mob  with  ''LebehocJis^'  and  asked  to 
unite  with  them.  Rittmeister  La  Roche  or- 
dered his  cavalry  to  charge  the  "  rabble,"  and 
horses,  men,  and  sabres  went  crashing  into 
the  surging  mass,  wounding  many  and  killing 
a  few.  Two  volleys  of  musketry  in  quick  suc- 
cession were  rapidly  fired  into  the  horsemen, 
and  when  the  smoke  had  cleared  away,  it 
was  seen  that  Rittmeister  La  Roche,  their 
commander,  and  his  horse,  together  with 
the  trumpeter  and  two  other  soldiers  and  a 
number  of  horses,  were  dead  on  the  pave- 
ment, while  many  other  troopers  were  stretched 
on  the  ground  wounded.  The  rest  of  the 
cavalry  were  thrown  into  great  disorder  and 
fled  in  all  directions.  The  officers,  with  nine 
non  -  commissioned  officers  and  eioht  dra- 
goons,  went  down  the  Waldhorn  Strasse  to 
the  Schloss  Place,  while  the  others  retreated 
to  their  barracks. 

At  a  quarter  of  ten  o'clock  the  crowd  had 
reached  the  Armoury,  where  First  Lieutenant 


54      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Faszler,  a  one-armed  artillery  officer,  com- 
manded. Under  him  were  a  number  of  non- 
commissioned officers  and  pioneers,  together 
with  two  companies  of  burgher-guards,  con- 
sisting of  160  men,  who  had  arrived  only 
a  few  minutes  before.  One  body  of  the 
burgher-guards,  intermixed  with  pioneers,  was 
posted  behind  the  socle  supporting  the  grating 
in  front  of  the  building ;  while  other  detach- 
ments were  stationed  on  both  sides,  and  in 
the  rear  facing  the  Pheasant  Preserve.  Just 
before  the  main  body  of  the  rioters  arrived,  a 
fireman  ran  up  and  brought  the  news  of  the 
dispersal  of  the  dragoons  and  the  death  of 
Rittmeister  La  Roche. 

At  the  approach  of  the  multitude,  Lieuten- 
ant Faszler  sent  forward  to  the  grating,  under 
the  light  of  a  gas  lamp,  a  burgher-guard  bear- 
ing a  white  handkerchief  on  his  bayonet,  with 
directions  to  ask  the  rebel  leader  what  was 
wanted.  The  man  was  seen,  and  Corporal 
Giesin  came  to  the  grating,  and,  in  reply  to  the 
question,  said,  "  We  only  want  the  weapons 
in  the  Armoury,  that  they  may  be  given  to 
the  people."  Lieutenant  Faszler  peremptorily 
declined  to  comply.  Whereupon,  Giesin 
directed  his  people  to  go  back  to  the  neigh- 
bourhood   of    the    Polytechnic    School    just 


Outbreak  in  Carlsruhe  55 

beyond  the  Dragoon  Barracks,  where  a  con- 
sultation was  held.  Soon  afterwards,  two 
young  men  in  turner  dress,  armed  with  guns, 
appeared  and  said  to  Faszler,  "  Let  there  be 
an  end  to  parleying.  We  will  give  you  five 
minutes  more  to  consider.  We  will  give  you 
all  free  departure  with  your  arms.  But  the 
Armoury  must  be  opened  and  we  must  have 
the  guns,  otherwise  we  will  attack,  then  you 
can  see  how  you  get  out.  We  will  set  fire 
to  the  whole  building."  On  Faszler  again 
refusing,  the  whole  body  advanced  in  front 
of  the  Armoury,  when  Faszler  commanded  his 
men  to  fire,  and  Giesin  and  another  young 
fellow  fell  pierced  by  bullets,  and  the  mob 
retired  hurriedly.  Soon  the  crowd  returned, 
and,  dividing  into  two  parties,  commenced 
firing  into  the  Armoury  from  both  sides  of  the 
building.  Some  fired  from  the  neighbouring 
houses,  others  from  behind  a  fountain  ;  a  few 
ran  along  the  street  and  fired  into  the  building 
with  shot.  The  fire  was  strongly  returned 
from  the  Armoury.  After  the  fight  had  con- 
tinued for  an  hour  and  a  half,  the  firing  be- 
came less  frequent  and  many  of  the  insurgents 
left.  A  few  near  the  Tavern  to  the  Green 
Tree  sprang  out,  fired,  and  then  rushed  around 
the  corner  of  the  Durlach  Strasse  to  reload. 


5^      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

On  the  side  of  the  besieged,  only  one  burgher- 
guard  was  killed,  but  many  were  wounded.  A 
cessation  now  took  place  in  the  fighting, 
during  which  the  two  companies  of  burgher- 
guards  stationed  at  the  Townhall  arrived,  not 
having  been  molested  on  the  way. 

At  a  quarter  of  two  o'clock,  when  a  portion 
of  the  burgher-guards  were  about  to  leave  the 
Armoury,  a  new  attack  was  made,  but  weaker 
and  of  shorter  duration  than  the  first.  By 
daybreak  only  a  few  scattered  shots  were 
being  fired,  and  the  besiegers,  having  lost  in 
killed  some  eight  soldiers  and  civilians,  dis- 
appeared, taking  their  wounded  with  them, 
and  the  Armoury  remained  in  the  hands  of  its 
defenders. 

Not  an  overt  act  was  committed  against 
^C  Grand  Duke  Leopold,  but  at  ten  o'clock  at 
night  he,  with  all  his  family,  fled  hastily  from 
Carlsruhe. 

After  nine  o'clock  General  Hoffman,  the 
Minister  of  War,  had  gone  to  the  meeting  of 
the  ministry,  which  was  in  session  at  Bekk's 
house,  and  reported  that  all  attempts  to  re- 
store order  at  the  Infantry  Barracks  had  failed. 
It  was  then  that  the  Grand  Duke,  who  was 
present,  concluded  to  fly  from  his  capital. 
Until  evening  he  had  still  expected  aid  from 


Outbreak  in  Carlsruhe  57 

Frankfort,  but  when  it  became  certain  that  no 
assistance  would  come  from  that  quarter,  and 
as  the  mutiny  and  terror  had  commenced  in 
the  Lange  Strasse,  all  hope  was  abandoned. 
The  ministry  was  instructed  to  prepare  a  very 
full  power,  giving  it  absolute  authority,  which 
he  agreed  to  sign,  and  under  which  it  could 
do  whatever  the  circumstances  demanded. 
Bekk  prepared  the  papers,  and  at  eleven 
o'clock  sent  them  to  the  Schloss  for  signa- 
ture, but  the  Court  had  gone. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  meeting  of  the  ministry 
had  adjourned,  and  the  Grand  Duke,  having 
returned  to  the  Schloss,  assembled  his  family 
and  began  preparations  for  flight.  It  had 
been  determined  that  a  locomotive  and  a 
few  cars  should  be  made  ready  at  Gottesau, 
a  quarter  of  an  hour's  distance  from  the  main 
railway  station,  where  the  entire  family  was 
to  meet  at  twelve  o'clock  and  be  taken  to 
Frankfort. 

The  tumult  in  the  Lange  Strasse  and  about 
the  Armoury  was  now  at  its  height.  When 
the  flying  dragoons  who  had  fought  with  the 
mob  near  the  Armoury  arrived  at  the  Schloss, 
a  panic  seized  the  Grand  Duke,  and  he  re- 
solved to  leave  at  once,  an  immediate  attack 
on  the  Schloss  being  feared. 


58      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

The  start  was  made  through  the  Pheasant 
Preserve,  in  the  rear  of  the  Armoury,  and, 
crossing  the  Durlach  Strasse,  the  procession 
was  proceeding  toward  the  railway  at  Gottesau 
when  it  was  learned  from  some  burgher-guards 
who  were  met  in  the  darkness,  that  owing  to 
the  roving  bands  of  rioters  it  would  no  longer 
be  possible  to  get  to  the  railway  in  safety. 
The  party  therefore  deemed  it  advisable  to 
retrace  its  steps,  and  as  they  were  emerging 
from  the  Pheasant  Preserve  came  upon  Gen- 
eral Hoffman  with  a  detachment  of  forty 
dragoons,  with  which  he  was  attempting  to 
form  a  junction  with  the  artillery  at  their 
barracks  at  Gottesau.  The  General  now  gave 
up  his  first  plan,  and  decided  to  assist  in  get- 
ting the  Grand  Duke  and  his  family  away 
from  Carlsruhe.  The  united  force  resumed 
its  march  through  the  Schloss  Park  and  the 
Haardtwald,  where  a  mounted  battery  under 
Captain  Grossmann  joined  the  train.  The 
Grand  Duke  seating  himself  on  the  ammu- 
nition chest  of  a  cannon,  the  grown  princes 
also  riding  on  cannon  or  going  on  foot, 
there  being  only  enough  carriages  for  the 
women  and  children,  the  flight  continued  in 
the  deepest  silence  through  the  dark  oak 
forest    in    the    direction    of    the    Rhine,    the 


Outbreak  in  Carlsruhe  59 

intention  being  to  go  to  Germersheim  in  the 
Palatinate,  and  gain  the  protection  of  that 
Bavarian  fortress. 

In  the  darkness  of  the  same  night  the 
general  staff  of  the  army,  all  the  staff  officers, 
and  the  commandant  of  the  city  likewise  fled 
from  Carlsruhe. 


CHAPTER    IV 

SECOND    DAY    OF   THE     REVOLUTION    AT 
CARLSRUHE    AND    RASTATT 

AT  daybreak  on  Monday  bands  of  soldiers, 
with  their  caps,  haversacks,  and  guns, 
were  already  passing  the  Armoury  on  their  way 
to  the  Durlach  Gate  to  leave  the  city.  As  they 
came  opposite  the  building  they  called  over  to 
the  pioneers  still  on  duty,  "  We  are  going  to 
take  a  holiday ;  if  you  are  the  right  sort  of 
fellows  you  will  come  along." 

The  news  of  the  disappearance  of  the  Grand 
Duke  was  known  to  the  government  and 
municipal  authorities  soon  after  it  took  place, 
but  the  public  generally  did  not  hear  of  it 
until  the  next  morning.  The  Burgomasters 
and  members  of  the  City  Council  had  been  in 
session  all  night  consulting  with  the  heads  of 
the  municipal  and  police  departments  and 
the  commander  of  the  burgher-guard  in 
regard  to  the  action  to  be  taken.  At  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning  the  Head  Burgomaster 

60 


Progress  of  the  Revolution         6i 

and  two  members  of  the  Council  visited  Min- 
ister Bekk  at  his  residence,  and  informed  him 
that,  in  their  opinion,  under  the  circumstances, 
nothing  remained  but  to  give  up  the  city  to 
the  State  Committee.  Bekk  replied  that  he 
had  no  means  at  his  command  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  place,  and  that  if  all  reports 
were  true  it  would  be  best  to  allow  the 
State  Committee  to  enter  with  its  troops,  but 
that  the  municipal  authorities  must  take  what- 
ever measures  they  deemed  expedient.  At 
five  o'clock,  at  the  session  of  the  Council,  in 
the  Townhall,  it  was  decided  to  send  a  depu- 
tation of  three  members  to  Rastatt,  to  say 
to  the  State  Committee  that  Carlsruhe  would 
not  oppose  its  entry,  provided  it  cared  for  the 
city's  safety. 

The  delegation  left  at  six  o'clock  on  the 
first  train.  At  eleven  o'clock  they  returned, 
and  reported  that  the  State  Committee  would 
enter  Carlsruhe  late  in  the  afternoon.  In  a 
short  time  it  was  known  all  over  the  city  that 
the  revolutionary  government  would  soon  ar- 
rive, and  placards  to  that  effect  were  at  once 
posted  in  all  the  streets. 

The  people  of  Carlsruhe  awoke  early  that 
Monday  morning,  and  when  it  became  gen- 
erally known  that  the  Grand  Duke  had  fled, 


'A 


62     The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

j  and  that  there  was  no  longer  a  regularly  con- 
stituted government  in  Baden,  many  became 
panic-stricken. 

The  streets  were  soon  crowded.  In  clus- 
ters and  groups,  the  people  discussed  the 
events  of  the  last  twenty-four  hours.  The 
workshops  remained  empty  and  the  stores 
closed.  The  neighbouring  cities  and  villages 
had  poured  their  thousands  into  Carlsruhe 
since  the  day  before,  and  these,  with  the  resi- 
dents, gave  the  place  almost  a  metropolitan 
appearance. 

In  the  Lange  Strasse  an  active  business  was  " 
being  done  in  the  sale  of  black,  red,  and  gold  / 
cockades  and  flags,  many  of  which  were  already 
being  worn.  Soldiers,  singly  and  in  crowds, 
were  hurrying  along,  carrying  all  their  belong- 
ings in  bundles,  and  leaving  the  city.  Offi- 
cers, in  civilian  dress,  who  had  belonged  to 
the  dissolved  regiments,  were  promenading 
the  streets,  watching  the  turn  of  events. 
Scores  of  waggons,  some  from  the  neighbour- 
ing villages  drawn  by  oxen,  were  hauling  the 
luggage  and  household  effects  of  those  timid 
persons  of  wealth  or  nobility  who  were  fleeing 
from  the  city  for  fear  of  the  "  rebels." 

The  body  of  Rittmeister  La  Roche  had 
been  taken  to  the  Inn  to  the  Sun,  and  here 


Progress  of  the  Revolution         63 

quite  a  number  of  persons  had  collected. 
Near  the  Armoury  the  blood-stains  of  the  pre- 
vious night  were  still  visible  on  the  pavement. 
In  the  tavern  near  the  Durlach  Gate  were  the 
bodies  of  those  killed  in  the  attack,  while  in 
the  wards  of  the  not  far  distant  hospital 
moaned  the  wounded. 

The  barracks  were  dreary  and  deserted. 
In  the  Dragoon  Barracks,  only  two  dragoons 
and  the  sergeant  major  remained  to  care  for 
forty-six  horses.  Numbers  of  the  infantry- 
men, who  had  deserted  from  their  organisa- 
tions, had  come  and  persuaded  the  horsemen 
to  leave  with  them.  The  two  dragoons  were 
the  last  in  the  Barracks,  and  were  also  ready 
to  go,  when  the  sergeant  major  begged  so 
earnestly  for  them  to  remain  and  feed  and 
water  the  horses  that  they  finally  yielded  to 
his  importunities.  At  the  Artillery  Barracks 
at  Gottesau  the  same  conditions  prevailed  as 
at  the  Dragoon  Barracks. 

The  Baden  Second  Chamber,  like  the  First, 
was  looked  upon  as  reactionary,  and  early  in 
the  morning  all  the  members  who  had  not 
already  left  Carlsruhe  took  their  departure, 
and  those  who  had  gone  home  to  spend  Sun- 
day with  their  families  did  not  return.  At 
noon   Deputy  Bohme,  of  Carlsruhe,  was  the 


64      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

only  one  to  be  found  at  the  meeting  place, 
and,  outside  of  the  clerks,  there  was  no  one 
else  in  the  building. 

Between  eight  and  nine  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing the  ministry  met  for  the  last  time,  all  the 
ministers  being  in  attendance  except  General 
Hoffman,  who  had  accompanied  the  Grand 
Duke  in  his  flight.  It  was  decided  that 
they,  too,  should  leave  the  city,  and  at  ten 
o'clock  all  went  to  Lauterburg,  in  Hesse-Darm- 
stadt, except  Privy  Councillor  Rebenius,  who 
hurried  to  Wiirtemberg.  From  Lauterburg 
the  ministers  sent  out  a  statement,  dated, 
however,  from  Carlsruhe,  in  which  they  at- 
tempted to  justify  the  flight  of  the  Grand 
Duke  as  well  as  their  own. 

In  the  city  the  revolutionary  party  early 
in  the  mornine  had  formed  a  Committee  of 
Public  Safety  to  care  for  the  safety  of  persons 
and  property.  The  members,  wearing  wide 
tri-coloured  sashes,  were  everywhere  on  the 
streets ;  their  leader,  Durr,  had  gone  to 
Rastatt  to  receive  orders  from  the  State 
Committee,  while  others  of  the  Committee 
took  steps  to  organise  a  force  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  city. 

The  burgher-guards,  brave  as  they  had 
shown  themselves  the  night  before,  were  now 


Progress  of  the  Revolution         65 

disheartened,  and  talked  of  disarming.  Yet, 
early  in  the  day,  when  it  was  suggested  by 
the  Committee  of  Public  Safety  that,  in  con- 
junction with  the  disorganised  soldiers  still 
remaining  in  town,  they  form  a  temporary 
military  force  for  the  protection  of  the  city 
until  the  State  Committee  could  make  the 
proper  arrangements,  they  readily  consented, 
the  task  being  left  to  Captain  Frei,  of  the 
Bodyguard  Regiment,  who  was  popular  with 
the  soldiers. 

The  Market-Place  was  the  rendezvous  for 
the  military.  By  mid-day  they  were  gath- 
ering. First  came  a  company  of  infantry, 
with  the  drummers  beating^  the  oreneral  as- 
sembly ;  then  a  company  of  burgher-guards 
arrived,  moving  to  the  inspiring  roll  of  the 
same  march,  and  in  half  an  hour  no  less  than 
six  hundred  men  had  collected.  After  con- 
siderable time  and  hard  labour  the  incongruous 
mass  was  formed  into  detachments,  and  sent 
away  under  command  of  the  non-commissioned 
officers  to  take  possession  of  the  various  sentry 
posts  which  had  been  abandoned  since  the 
evening  before.  A  guard  also  remained  in 
front  of  the  Townhall. 

The  State  Committee  arrived  at  five  o'clock. 
Before  leaving  Offenburg  for  Rastatt  it  had 


66    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

appointed  Oos,  the  station  on  the  main  Hne 
of  the  raihvay  where  the  branch  road  turns 
off  to  Baden-Baden,  as  the  place  where  all 
citizens  of  Baden  were  to  gather  armed,  as 
from  there  they  could  readily  be  sent  to  all 
parts  of  the  state. 

As  the  members  of  the  State  Committee 
neared  Rastatt  and  saw  the  colossal  black, 
red,  and  gold  flag  floating  high  over  the  city 
and  fortress,  they  naturally  thought  their  re- 
ception would  be  most  cordial.  But  they 
were  wofully  deceived.  As  they  reached  the 
Carlsruhe  Gate  they  found  it  closed,  and  the 
drawbridge  up.  Their  train  was  not  allowed 
to  enter,  and  the  night  was  passed  in  a  neigh- 
bouring village.  Only  Goegg,  Hoff,  Heinrich 
Degen,  and  the  soldiers  in  the  deputation 
were,  after  considerable  parleying,  allowed  to 
pass  the  gates.  The  garrison  was  not  yet 
prepared  for  a  new  government,  although  the 
Governor  of  the  city,  General  von  Clossman, 
had  been  deposed,  and  Captain  Greiner  elected 
to  the  post  by  the  soldiers. 

On  entering  the  fortress,  Hoff  arranged  for 
a  public  meeting  to  be  held  the  next  morning, 
and  asked  all  in  the  place  to  attend. 

At  sunrise  on  May  14th,  between  four  and 
fiye  o'clock,   Struve  and  his  wife,  with  Blind 


Progress  of  the  Revolution         67 

and  Von  Bornstedt,  also  arrived  at  the  walls 
of  Rastatt,  having  just  been  freed  from  their 
imprisonment  at  Bruchsal  by  the  people  of 
that  city,  where  they  had  been  taken  for 
greater  safety  early  on  the  previous  Satur- 
day morning.  They  also  were  refused  per- 
mission to  enter.  Struve  then  proceeded  to 
Baden-Baden  to  uro^e  Brentano  to  come  at 
once  and  take  the  leadership  of  the  State 
Committee.  Brentano  was  awakened  from 
his  slumbers,  and  finally  consented,  although 
he  had  hesitated  since  the  day  before,  and  im- 
mediately left  for  Rastatt,  where  he  arrived  a 
few  hours  later. 

The  entire  party,  which  had  come  on  the 
train  from  Offenburg,  was  now  permitted  to 
go  into  Rastatt.  At  this  time  the  committee 
from  the  Municipal  Council  of  Carlsruhe  ar- 
rived, and  delivered  its  message  to  the  State 
Committee,  which,  although  overwhelmed  by 
the  unexpectedness  of  the  invitation,  agreed  to 
obey  what  was  considered  a  commandof  destiny. 

The  meeting  already  announced  by  Hoff 
was  held  at  noon  on  the  Market-Place.  The 
general  assembly  was  sounded,  and  the  line 
soldiers,  infantry,  artillery,  and  cavalry  and 
the  burgher-guard  gathered.  From  the  bal- 
cony of  the  Townhall  Brentano,  Goegg,  Hoff, 


68     The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

and  others  made  speeches.  The  resolutions 
of  the  Offenburg  meeting  were  read,  and  the 
announcement  made  that  the  Grand  Duke 
had  left  the  country  in  the  past  night,  and 
that  the  State  Committee  was  now  the  Pro- 
visional government  of  Baden,  and  everyone 
assembled  was  directed  to  swear  to  support 
the  imperial  constitution  and  the  orders  of 
the  State  Committee.  The  oath  was  taken 
by  all  but  a  few  officers  of  the  line  soldiers, 
being  administered  by  Brentano. 

The  State  Committee  then  gave  out  its 
first  proclamation,  stating  that  at  the  request 
of  the  Municipal  Council  of  Carlsruhe  it  was 
about  to  proceed  to  that  city  and  take  control 
of  the  government,  and  asking  all  citizens  to 
give  it  their  support  and  assistance  in  pre- 
serving order.  The  members  then  started  for 
Carlsruhe,  accompanied  by  the  3d  Infantry 
Regiment  with  a  few  cannon  and  numerous 
volunteers. 

In  Carlsruhe  it  began  to  be  whispered  at 
four  o'clock  that  the  State  Committee  would 
soon  arrive,  and  a  rush  was  made  along  the 
Karl-Friedrich  Strasse  toward  the  Ettlingen 
Gate,  and  through  it  to  the  railway  station 
outside.  In  front  of  the  buildine  a  dense 
crowd    of    citizens,    soldiers,    and    volunteers 


Progress  of  the  Revolution         69 

soon  assembled.  A  number  of  carriages  were 
also  in  waiting.  When  the  State  Committee 
arrived  great  cheering  began.  Inside  the  sta- 
tion Brentano,  who  was  everywhere  recog- 
nised as  the  master  mind  of  the  body,  was 
received  by  the  Head  Director  of  the  Post, 
Von  Mollenbeck,  who  tried  to  impress  on  him 
the  importance  of  keeping  the  railway  trains 
running  regularly,  as  well  as  the  necessity  of 
maintaining  the  sanctity  of  the  mails  and  the 
safety  and  quickness  of  delivery.  Quieting 
assurances  were  given,  and  Brentano  and  the 
other  members  of  the  State  Committee  ap- 
peared on  the  street.  Brentano  was  quickly 
recognised,  and  the  cheers  and  shouts,  hurrahs 
and  ''hocks''  became  deafening.  Hats  and  hand- 
kerchiefs were  waved,  and  a  movement  made 
toward  the  hero  of  the  hour ;  but  the  soldiers 
who  came  with  the  new  government  quietly 
pushed  the  people  back,  and  Brentano  and 
his  colleagues,  all  wearing  tri-coloured  sashes, 
gained  the  waiting  carriages.  Escorted  by 
the  military,  the  regimental  band  playing, 
amid  the  shouts  of  the  assemblage,  the  pro- 
cession started  for  the  Market-Place. 

At  the  Townhall  the  members  of  the  State 
Committee  alighted  and  went  into  the  build- 
ing,  on   the  balcony   of  which,   in   answer  to 


JO     The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

repeated  calls,  Brentano  appeared  and  made 
an  address.  He  spoke  with  moderation,  and 
counselled  the  preservation  of  order,  and 
warned  everyone  against  committing  exces- 
ses. "  The  first  principle,"  he  said,  "  is  to 
hold  fast  to  the  imperial  constitution."  He 
then  expressed  regret  at  the  flight  of  the 
Grand  Duke,  for  which  he  claimed  there 
was  no  reason  whatever,  as  the  people  had 
nothing  against  him  personally,  and  finally 
stated  that  he  and  his  colleagues  had  come 
on  the  invitation  of  the  City  Council  to  take 
the  reins  of  government  which  the  Grand 
Duke  had  dropped. 

Hoff,  of  Mannheim,  followed  Brentano,  and 
told  of  the  Offenburg  meeting,  and  requested 
all  present  to  assist  in  carrying  out  the  pro- 
gramme there  laid  down  for  them. 

The  same  evening  the  State  Committee 
held  its  first  session  in  Carlsruhe,  in  the 
council  chamber  of  the  Townhall.  Struve, 
who,  with  Blind,  had  arrived  in  the  city 
some  time  after  the  State  Committee,  ap- 
peared at  this  meeting  of  the  new  governing 
body  and  was  elected  a  member.  At  Struve's 
suggestion  it  was  decided  that  the  first  busi- 
ness to  be  transacted  was  to  fill  the  various 
places  in  the  ministry.     Brentano  and   Peter 


Procuress  of  the  Revolution  71 


'i=> 


having  been  designated  by  the  Offenburg 
meeting  to  form  a  new  ministry,  the  State 
Committee  at  once  placed  Brentano  at  the 
head  of  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior,  and 
Peter  at  that  of  Justice. 

Eichfeld,  a  former  lieutenant  in  the  Baden 
army,  the  writer  of  a  book,  Nati07ial  Guard 
and  Standing  Army,  and  a  decided  republi- 
can, who  had  just  been  freed  by  the  revolution 
from  imprisonment  at  Kislau,  to  which  he  had 
been  sentenced  for  his  democratic  utterances, 
was  made  Minister  of  War.  For  Minister  of 
Finance,  Struve  proposed  Joseph  Fickler ;  but 
the  motion  did  not  meet  with  favour,  and  it 
was  decided  to  allow  Finance  Minister  Presi- 
dent Hoffman  to  retain  his  portfolio  if  still  in 
Carlsruhe ;  but  when  it  became  known  that 
he  had  fled  with  the  ether  ministers  of 
the  Grand  Duke,  Goegg  was  elected  to 
the  position.  Foreign  Affairs  was  united 
with  Interior,  both  to  be  conducted  by  Bren- 
tano. The  number  of  the  members  of 
the  State  Committee  was  increased  by  add- 
ing the  substitutes  who  had  been  elected  at 
Offenburg,  and  besides  Struve,  Barbo  of  Em- 
mendingen,  Damm  of  Tauberbischofsheim, 
Sergeant  Major  Henneka,  Thiebauth  of  Ett- 
lingen,  and  Ziegler  of   Carlsruhe  were   made 


12     The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

members.  An  Executive  Commission  consist- 
ing of  Brentano,  Peter,  Goegg,  and  Eichfeld, 
was  also  elected  to  carry  out  the  decrees  of 
the  State  Committee,  and  all  the  official  au- 
thorities of  the  state,  as  well  as  the  citizens, 
were  directed  to  give  implicit  obedience  to  its 
orders. 

At  this  session  of  the  State  Committee  an 
address  was  prepared,  which  served  as  a  sort 
of  introductory  to  the  people  of  Carlsruhe : 

"  Thirteen  months  of  hard  fighting  ;  thirteen  months 
of  heavy  sacrifices  are  over ;  .  .  .  scarcely  is 
the  German  constitution  assured  by  the  representatives 
of  the  nation,  when  the  counter-revolution  steps  out  un- 
veiled, and  the  chains  which  we  broke  in  March  of  last 
year  are  to  be  again  welded." 

Speaking  of  the  army  the  address  con- 
tinued : 

"  In  such  a  fight,  you  have  seen  that  the  brave  army, 
our  and  your  brothers,  could  not  doubt  that  their  duty 
called  them  to  the  side  of  the  people.  They,  the  sons 
of  the  fatherland,  must  fight  for  the  freedom  of  the 
people,  for  the  unity  of  Germany,  and  for  the  greatness 
of  the  nation. 

"  The  army  has  therefore  united  itself  with  us.  It 
will  not  fight  against  the  people.  It'  will  only  fight 
against  the  enemies  of  liberty  and  the  fatherland." 

The  appeal  concluded  with  the  following 
earnest  words : 


Progress  of  the  Revolution         7$ 

"  Fellow-citizens,  remembering  the  duty  which  we  owe 
to  the  great  public  meeting  held  at  Offenburg,  and  obey- 
ing the  call  of  the  municipal  authorities,  we  entered 
here  this  afternoon  at  the  head  of  our  brave  soldiers. 
We  will  use  our  power,  mindful  of  the  popular  will, 
give  full  freedom  to  the  person,  yet  cherish  the  security 
of  property.  Our  task  is  a  heavy  one,  but  we  feel  in 
us  the  strong  will  to  succeed  ;  support  us  everywhere  in 
our  beginning,  and  we  do  not  doubt  that  liberty  will  be 
victorious." 

The  same  day  the  Carlsruhe  Zeitung,  the 
official  organ  of  the  Grand  Ducal  govern- 
ment, was  taken  possession  of,  and  the  next 
morning  appeared  as  the  organ  of  the  State 
Committee,  with  Karl  Blind  as  editor. 

On  the  15th  the  Executive  Commission, 
through  Eichfeld,  the  Minister  of  War,  called 
on  the  soldiers  who  had  left  their  garrisons 
to  return  to  their  army  divisions,  all  commu- 
nities being  ordered  to  see  that  this  request 
was  complied  with ;  and  the  officers  who  had 
deserted  were  ordered  to  report  to  the  Min- 
ister of  War.  It  took  fully  a  week,  however, 
before  the  scattered  soldiers  were  again  gath- 
ered into  their  proper  commands. 


CHAPTER  V 

EXTENSION  OF  THE  REVOLUTION— PREPAR- 
ING FOR  WAR  — COALITION  OF  STRONG 
GERMAN  STATES  AGAINST  BADEN  — AS- 
SEMBLING OF  THE  ALLIES  ON  THE 
NORTHERN  FRONTIER 

/  A  T  the  end  of  the  first  week,  the  whole  of 
\  S  ■*»  Baden  was  aflame  for  the  revolution. 
V  As  early  as  the  evening  of  the  13th,  civil  and 
military  commissioners  appointed  by  the  State 
Committee  appeared  in  different  places,  with 
powers  almost  as  boundless  as  those  of  the 
new  government  itself.  They  removed  and 
appointed  civil  and  military  officers,  made  ar- 
rests, instituted  public  meetings,  organised 
armed  corps,  and  agitated  in  favour  of  the  re- 
volution. At  Kehl,  on  the  French  frontier, 
at  four  o'clock  on  that  day.  Dr.  Kuchling,  a 
physician,  girt  with  a  sword  and  accompanied 
by  three  armed  men,  declared  to  the  com- 
mandant, Von  Asbrand,  that  he  was  authorised 
by  the  State  Committee  to  remove  him.  At 
six  o'clock  on  the  same  day,  the  two  lawyers, 

74 


Preparing  for  War  75 

Heiinich  and  Von  Rotteck,  made  like  an- 
nouncements to  the  officials  of  Freiburg  and 
directed  them  to  give  up  their  positions  peace- 
ably, and  gave  orders  to  the  military  leaders 
in  reofard  to  their  future  conduct. 

The  same  evening,  the  surgeon,  Gallus 
Maier,  introduced  himself  in  Heidelberg  as 
civil  commissioner,  and  tendered  the  services 
of  the  burgher-guard  of  that  city  to  the  re- 
volutionary cause.  Late  that  night,  Florian 
Mordes,  the  young  journalist  and  lawyer,  was 
in  Mannheim  on  the  same  business. 

At  the  beginning,  the  duties  of  the  commis- 
sioners were  not  well  defined,  and  everyone 
acted  largely  on  his  own  judgment;  but  on 
the  1 8th,  the  State  Committee  divided  the 
state  into  four  districts,  with  a  head  commis- 
sioner for  each,  under  whom  was  to  be  a  civil 
commissioner  in  each  municipal  or  other  di- 
vision of  the  Grand  Duchy,  and  the  next  day 
their  powers  and  authority  were  prescribed, 
and  a  uniform  method  of  procedure  laid  down 
for  the  whole  of  Baden.  The  men  appointed  to 
these  positions  represented  the  intelligence 
and  energy  of  Baden.  Of  the  four  head  com- 
missioners, three  were  lawyers,  and  of  the 
sixty-one  civil  commissioners,  nearly  one  half 
were  lawyers,  physicians,  and  druggists. 


7^     The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Like  the  commissioners,  ahnost  at  the  same 
instant  that  the  revolution  was  victorious, 
Committees  of  Public  Safety  sprang  up  as  if  by 
magic  all  over  Baden,  and  exercised  functions 
under  and  in  conjunction  with  the  commis- 
sioners, their  duty  being  to  care  for  the  safety 
of  persons  and  property. 

On  the  morning  of  May  14th,  great  masses 
r  ({  of  people  from  all  parts  of  Baden  collected 
'  at  Oos,  and  the  railway  station  there  present- 

ed a  kaleidoscopic  picture.  Burgher-guards, 
turners,  volunteers,  shoved  and  elbowed  one 
another.  Germain  Metternich,  formerly  a 
lieutenant  in  the  Hessian  army,  was  directing 
affairs. 

When  the  sun  set  on  May  i8th,  not  a 
regiment  from  Mannheim  to  Constance  re- 
mained loyal  to  the  old  government,  and  none 
of  the  detachments  of  troops  which  the  loyal 
officers  were  attempting  to  take  out  of  Baden 
succeeded  in  getting  across  the  border  into 
any  of  the  neighbouring  states. 

The  Grand  Duke  had  arrived  at  Germers- 
heim,  on  the  river  Rhine  in  the  Palatinate, 
on  the  morning  of  the  14th,  his  escort  of 
troops  remaining  on  the  Baden  side  of  the 
river,  where  they  bivouacked.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  15th,  General  Hoffman  led  them  in 


Preparing  for  War  "J"] 

the  direction  of  the  Neckar  River,  intending 
finally  to  proceed  to  Frankfort  and  place  him- 
self under  the  Central  Power.  There  was 
delay  from  various  causes,  and  the  plan  was 
abandoned    and    the    march    chanored    to    the 

o 

direction  of  Zinsheim  and  the  frontier  of 
Wurtemberg.  During  this  time,  the  revo- 
lutionary party  was  not  idle,  and  having 
been  informed  of  every  movement  of  the 
troops,  soon  had  the  whole  region  from 
Bruchsal  to  Mannheim  and  from  Heidelberg 
to  Zinsheim  aroused,  and  the  military  and 
burgher-guard  in  motion.  It  was  known  that 
the  highly  unpopular  Colonel  von  Hinkeldey, 
of  the  I  St  Dragoon  Regiment,  was  of  the 
party,  and  armed  men  went  in  all  directions  on 
the  hunt  for  them.  On  the  evening  of  the 
1 6th,  General  Hoffman  and  his  thoroughly 
wearied  men  arrived  in  the  villages  of  Furfeld 
and  Bonfeld,  across  the  line  in  Wurtemberg, 
where  they  believed  themselves  safe.  But  the 
alarm  had  been  sounded  at  Zinsheim,  and  a 
large  force  of  burgher-guards,  peasants,  and 
soldiers  returning  home  was  soon  across  the 
border,  and  with  their  Wurtemberg  sympa- 
thisers fell  upon  the  sleeping  command,  and 
easily  persuaded  them  to  come  over  to  the 
side  of  the  revolution.     General  Hoffman  was 


7^      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

permitted  to  escape  farther  into  Wiirtemberg, 
while  the  other  officers,  including  Colonel 
von  Hinkeldey,  fled,  the  redoubtable  Colonel 
being  afterward  captured  at  Babstadt,  and 
taken  a  prisoner  to  Carlsruhe.  Most  of  the 
cannon  lay  at  Fiirfeld,  and  when  affairs  took 
this  turn,  Captain  Grossmann,  the  commander 
of  the  battery,  committed  suicide  by  shooting 
himself. 

The  next  morning,  the  men  went  back  to 
Baden,  taking  the  cannon,  arms,  and  accoutre- 
ments with  them,  and  were  joyfully  received 
on  their  arrival  at  Zinsheim,  wearing  flowers 
and  green  sprigs  of  trees  on  their  helmets, 
as  a  mark  of  their  adherence  to  the  cause  of 
the  people. 

On  the  morning  of  the  i6th,  the  garrison  at 
Mannheim,  consisting  of  cavalry,  artillery,  and 
infantry,  together  with  the  burgher-guards, 
took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  revolution 
and  the  State  Committee  as  given  by  Florian 
Mordes,  only  the  officers  of  the  line  soldiers  de- 
clining to  do  so  ;  in  the  evening,  some  sixteen 
hundred  more  troops  arrived,  and  also  took 
the  oath. 

At  Neuenburg,  Lieutenant  von  Reck  at- 
tempted to  lead  a  small  detachment  of  troops, 
with  two  guns,  across  the  line   into  Wiirtem- 


Preparing  for  War  79 

berg.  The  people  of  Wiirtemberg,  here,  as  at 
Furfeld  and  Bonfeld,  were  friendly  to  the  revo- 
lution, and  arrested  Von  Reck,  while  the  people 
of  Neuenburg  sent  to  Pforzheim  for  assistance, 
and  at  noon  the  burgher-guard  of  that  place 
arrived,  and  took  the  cannon  back  to  Baden. 

The  soldiers  of  the  3d  Regiment  sta- 
tioned at  Kehl  were  seized  with  the  revolu- 
tionary spirit  as  early  as  the  evening  of  the 
13th,  and  their  commandant.  Colonel  von 
Asbrand,  was  unable  to  induce  them  to  obey 
his  commands  ;  and  when  Captain  von  Fick 
attempted  to  give  them  orders,  he  was  at- 
tacked and  his  epaulettes  torn  from  his  shoul- 
ders, which  so  preyed  on  his  mind  that,  like 
Captain  Grossmann,  he  committed  suicide, 
shooting  himself  the  same  evening,  in  his 
room,  where  his  corpse  was  found  the  next 
day. 

The  dissolution  of  the  various  military  bodies 
now  went  forward  with  rapid  strides,  and  the 
single  detachments  that  were  stationed  all  the 
way  from  the  extreme  north  to  the  Swiss 
frontier  one  after  another  went  over  to  the 
revolutionists.  The  dragoon  regiment,  ^'Gross- 
herzog^'  which  was  mostly  divided  among  the 
villages  along  the  Rhine,  was,  on  the  night 
of  the  15th,  ordered  by  General  von  Gayling 


8o     The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

to  move  in  the  direction  of  the  Black  Forest, 
with  the  expectation  of  following  them  himself 
with  the  rest  of  the  infantry  and  several  guns. 

After  they  had  passed  Freiburg,  the  Wiir- 
temberg  General,  Von  Miller,  who  was  the  im- 
perial commander  in  the  district,  having  been 
placed  there  at  the  time  of  the  Hecker  and 
Struve  uprisings,  rode  up,  and  said  he  de- 
sired to  lead  them  to  Frankfort,  where  they 
would  receive  orders  from  the  Vice-Regent. 
The  march  was  taken  up  to  Neustadt,  where 
they  arrived  after  a  long  and  weary  journey 
toward  evening  of  the  next  day.  General 
von  Gayling  followed  with  the  three  battal- 
ions of  the  2d  Regiment,  now  reduced  to  be- 
tween five  and  six  hundred  men. 

At  Neustadt,  on  the  morning  of  the  17th,  as 
they  were  ordered  to  march  across  the  fron- 
tier into  Wurtemberg,  all  declined  to  leave 
Baden,. being  influenced  thereto  by  the  gath- 
ering of  the  people  from  the  entire  neighbour- 
hood, and  by  the  attitude  of  the  citizens  of 
Wurtemberg,  here  also  well  disposed  to  the 
revolution.  Thereupon,  General  von  Gayling 
laid  down  the  command,  and  with  many  of  the 
officers  made  his  way  across  the  border. 

The  whole  body  of  troops,  cavalry  and  in- 
fantry, now  turned  back,  and  in  the  evening 


Preparing  for  War  8i 

was  again  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Freiburg, 
but  without  officers.  Freiburg  was  gaily  de- 
corated with  flags.  Many  of  the  former  non- 
commissioned officers  of  the  troops  remaining 
there,  had  been  elected  officers  by  their  com- 
rades on  May  13th,  and  were  wearing  black,  red, 
and  gold  sashes  over  their  uniforms.  This  all 
had  great  influence  on  the  returning  troops, 
and  on  the  i8th  all  but  a  detachment  of  the 
dragoon  regiment,  "  Grossherzog"  which  Rtlt- 
meister  von  Glaubitz  led  to  Carlsruhe,  took 
the  oath  to  support  the  imperial  constitution 
and  the  State  Committee. 

The  civil  officials,  no  less  than  the  soldiery, 
became  attached  to  the  revolution  and  stayed 
at  their  posts.  On  the  15th  the  members  of 
the  various  ministries  were  called  before  their 
new  chiefs,  and  asked  to  declare  whether  they 
wished  to  remain  in  office,  or  leave  their  posi- 
tions, and  with  scarcely  an  exception  they  de- 
cided to  stay,  and  on  the  i6th  were  sworn 
to  support  the  imperial  constitution  and  the 
orders  of  the  State  Committee,  without  com- 
promising their  obligations  to  the  Baden  con- 
stitution. The  proviso  was  added  by  Brentano 
for  reasons  of  policy.  Some  of  the  officials 
had  demurred  to  swearing  to  obey  the  orders 
of  the  State  Committee,  but  when  told  that 


82    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

they  must  do  so,  or  give  up  their  situations, 
promised  to  take  the  oath  if  the  proviso  were 
attached.  Brentano  had  therefore  agreed, 
as  he  recognised  the  fact  that  by  this  step 
of  the  officials  the  revolution  would  re- 
ceive a  sort  of  sanction  in  the  eyes  of  many 
persons  who  were  still  hesitating  which  side  to 
take. 

Only  the  High  Court  of  Justice  {Oberhof- 
gertcht)  at  Mannheim,  and  the  members  of 
the  High  Court  of  Justice  of  the  district  gov- 
ernment at  that  place,  absolutely  declined 
to  take  the  oath  to  support  the  imperial  con- 
stitution, and  the  members  of  the  High 
Consistory  at  Carlsruhe  joined  them  in 
their  refusal,  claiming  that  as  servants  of  the 
church  they  were  exempt  from  this  duty, 
v/  The  exiles  were  returning  home.  Karl 
Heinzen,  the  author  of  the  famous  Example 
m  Arithmetic  of  the  March  days  of  1848, 
which  set  forth  the  names  of  the  large  number 
of  princes  and  princesses  supported  by  Ger- 
many, came  to  Carlsruhe  shortly  after  the 
events  of  the  13th.  Theodore  Mogling,  a 
leader  in  the  Hecker  uprising,  had  also  come 
back. 

The  adventurers  were  coming  from  every 
barricade  and  battlefield  in  Germany,  and  on 


Preparing  for  War  83 

the  1 6th  a  number  of  Polish  officers  arrived, 
having  hurried  to  Baden  from  the  interior  of 
France,  and  offered  their  services  to  the  State 
Committee. 

The  whole  country  was  carried  away  by  a 
feverish  excitement.  There  were  continuous 
sounds  of  martial  music,  and  armed  men  were 
always  moving  through  the  streets  of  Carls- 
ruhe.  Every  day,  fresh  bodies  of  troops  ar- 
rived, and  on  the  Market-Place  were  sworn  to 
support  the  imperial  constitution  and  the 
State  Committee. 

Bands  of  volunteers  were  coming  and  go- 
ing. The  drilling  of  the  new  levies  was  car- 
ried on  with  energy,  and  in  the  daytime  and 
evening  the  courts  of  the  different  barracks 
where  this  was  done  were  scenes  of  bustle  and 
activity.  Everywhere  in  the  streets  of  Carls- 
ruhe  the  newly  elected  officers  of  the  national 
guard  were  to  be  seen,  not  yet  in  uniform,  but 
wearing  the  tri-coloured  sash  and  armed  with 
swords. 

In  most  of  the  cities,  a  state  of  joy  border- 
ing on  frenzy  carried  all  away  on  the  current 
of  the  revolution.  The  women  were  among 
the  maddest.  As  the  first  revolutionary  sol- 
diers arrived,  the  joy  and  embracing  and 
fraternising  knew   no  bounds.     The  boys  on 


84      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

the  streets  had  armed  themselves  with  wooden 
swords  and  the  like,  and  were  playing  volun- 
teer. At  their  head  was  carried  a  black,  red, 
and  gold  flag,  and  one  of  the  boys  was  "  Heck- 
er." 

The  railway  stations  in  all  places,  large  and 
small,  were  occupied  by  burgher-guards  or 
other  military.  The  confusion  in  the  depots 
of  the  larger  cities  like  Heidelberg  and  Carls- 
ruhe  was  indescribable.  The  mixed  masses  of 
burgher-guards,  volunteers,  and  line  soldiers, 
with  the  commanders  wearing  tri-coloured 
sashes ;  the  escorting  and  saluting  of  promi- 
nent personages,  the  constant  movements 
hither  and  thither,  the  walking,  running,  call- 
ing, yelling ;  the  arrival  and  departure  of 
bands  of  military,  with  a  few  ordinary  trav- 
ellers and  ladies,  was  a  spectacle  never  to  be 
forgotten.  At  the  smaller  stations  the  patrol 
was  often  a  personage  in  peasant  dress,  smok- 
ing a  pipe  and  carrying  an  old  rusty  musket 
or  scythe  on  his  shoulder. 

Good  order  was  maintained  everywhere,  the 
Committees  of  Public  Safety  seeing  to  this.  In 
the  cities  of  Carlsruhe,  Heidelberg,  and  Mann- 
heim many  nationalities  were  represented. 
Besides  the  Germans  there  were  French, 
Poles,     Hungarians,     Italians,    Russians,    and 


Preparing  for  War  85 

even  English  and  Americans,  all  drawn  thither 
by  the  excitement  of  the  revolution.  The  pic- 
ture was  much  enlivened  by  the  differing  and 
in  part  highly  tasteful  costumes  and  manner 
of  arming  of  the  volunteers. 

In  Carlsruhe,  owing  to  the  disturbed  con- 
dition of  the  country,  the  June  fair  (Messe) 
was  suspended,  although  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  strangers,  who  had  come  to  the  city  to 
attend,  had  already  erected  their  booths. 

On  May  1 7th  the  Grand  Duke  gave  out 
from  Berg,  in  the  Palatinate,  a  proclamation 
and  protest,  addressed  to  the  people  of  Baden, 
aimed  at  what  he  claimed  to  be  the  usurpa- 
tions of  the  State  Committee,  setting  forth 
his  reasons  for  leaving  Carlsruhe,  and  attempt- 
ing to  picture  to  the  timid  the  horrors  of  civil 
war.  The  dissemination  of  this  document  in 
Baden  was  strictly  forbidden,  and  when  the 
Mannheim  Journal  attempted  to  circulate 
it  secretly,  the  office  of  the  paper  and  the 
residence  of  the  editor  were  seized  and 
searched  by  Freiherr  von  Triitschler,  the 
chief  civil  commissioner  of  the  district,  on  the 
ground  of  the  document  being  treasonable 
and  mutinous. 

The  postal  service  in  the  interior  continued 
to   be   maintained   as  usual,   except  that   the 


86      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Post-Office  Department  at  Carlsruhe  sent  out 
a  notice  that  for  the  time  being  no  money  or 
other  valuables  would  be  received  for  trans- 
mission through  the  mails.  The  foreign  mails 
were  stopped  almost  entirely,  and  the  mails 
from  Switzerland  and  Wiirtemberg,  intended 
for  countries  north  and  west  of  Baden,  which 
ordinarily  went  by  way  of  that  country,  were 
sent  by  other  routes,  owing  to  the  railway 
connection  with  Hesse  being  entirely  cut  off, 
the  rails  being  torn  up  for  some  distance. 
The  customs  service  was,  however,  maintained 
in  good  order. 

On  May  19th  the  renowned  Johann  Phillip  ^ 
Becker  was  appointed  Commander-in-Chief  of 
the  entire  burgher-guard  of  Baden.  This 
seasoned  campaigner  was  a  native  of  Frank- 
enthal,  in  the  Palatinate,  but  for  the  past 
eleven  years  had  resided  in  Biel,  in  Switzer- 
land, He  had  had  much  experience  in  revo- 
lutions, the  last  being  when  he  led  a  company 
of  Swiss  in  the  Hecker  uprising.  When  the 
people  of  the  Palatinate  rose  against  the  King 
of  Bavaria  he  was  in  Marseilles,  and  had  just 
organised  a  legion  to  go  to  Rome  to  assist  the 
young  Roman  republic  in  maintaining  itself, 
but  immediately  started  for  his  old  home,  and 
while  passing  through  Carlsruhe  on  May  i8th 


Preparing  for  War  ^7 

was  induced  by  Struve  to  remain,  and  the 
next  day  received  the  appointment  to  the 
command  of  all  but  the  line  troops.  Becker 
now  called  his  troops  the  "  national  guard  " 
{Volkswehr),  which  consisted  of  the  burgher- 
guard  already  organised  as  well  as  the  new 
burgher-guard,  the  men  of  the  first  levy  and 
the  volunteers.  He  at  once  undertook  his 
duties,  and  established  an  ofhce  in  the  left 
wing  of  the  Townhall,  and  with  a  volunteer 
guard  in  the  ante-room,  surrounded  by  adju- 
tants, busiest  among  whom  were  Max  Dortu 
and  Alfred  Michel,  a  young  journalist,  he 
transacted  his  business.  He  was  a  man  of 
perhaps  forty-five  years  of  age,  quite  large, 
with  bronzed  military  features,  and  usually 
wore  a  green  uniform  coat  with  gold  epau- 
lettes. 

He  now  made  systematic  efforts  to  get  the 
national  guard  on  a  war  footing,  and  in  addi- 
tion soon  had  a  number  of  legions  in  process 
of  formation.  Among  the  earliest  of  these 
bodies  to  be  organised  was  the  Swiss  Legion, 
and  the  legion  which  Von  Willich,  another  of 
Hecker's  leaders,  had  gathered  at  Besan9on, 
in  France,  and  which  for  the  first  few  weeks 
of  the  uprising  was  in  the  Palatinate,  later 
coming  to  Baden  with  the  Palatine  army. 


88     The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

The  Swiss  Legion  owed  its  formation  to 
Friedrich  Neff,  who,  Hke  many  others  of  the 
men  who  were  now  organising  for  the  expected 
fight  in  Baden,  had  taken  part  in  Hecker's 
losing  fight  and  Struve's  fiasco,  of  which  last, 
in  conjunction  with  M.  W.  Lowenfels  and  G. 
Thielemann,  he  had  written  and  published  an 
account. 

Neff  had  been  sent  to  Lorrach  by  Brentano, 
to  collect  the  Baden  exiles  returning  to  their 
native  country  from  France  and  Switzerland^ 
form  them  into  a  military  body,  and  place  them 
under  the  orders  of  the  War  Department. 
On  May  23d,  fifty  men  were  enrolled  under 
<X  j  command  of  George  Boning,  who  were  at  once 

sent  to  Freiburg,  and  thence  to  Carlsruhe. 
The  next  day,  the  number  rose  to  two  hun- 
dred, and  was  finally  increased  to  four  hundred 
and  eighty. 

This  legion  was  the  wildest  band  which  the 
revolution  brought  forth.  It  was  commonly 
called  the  Legion  of  Fugitives,  because  com- 
posed largely  of  political  refugees  from  Baden, 
who  had  fought  under  Hecker  and  Struve, 
only  about  one  fifth  of  the  number  being  Swiss. 
There  were  also  in  the  Legion  many  daring 
adventurers,  some  of  whom  were  still  wearing 
the  red  trousers  of  the  Algerian  Foreign  Legion 


Preparing  for  War  89 

of  France.  These  bearded  blousemen  with 
their  athletic  bodies,  their  wild  audacity,  and 
the  eagerness  to  fight  depicted  on  their  sun- 
browned  faces  were  the  most  observed  of  all 
the  troops  while  in  Carlsruhe  ;  they  caused 
the  timid  bourgeoisie  of  the  city  to  stare,  as 
they  watched  them  drilling,  even  before  they 
had  arms,  or  saw  them  marching  along  the 
Lange  Strasse  to  their  barracks.  Colonel  Bon- 
ing, their  commander,  riding  ahead  on  his 
beautiful  brown  horse. 

This  picturesque  old  man  was  sixty -one 
years  old,  and  was  born  in  Wiesbaden.  His  life 
had  been  a  long  series  of  noteworthy  events. 
In  18 1 3  he  had  taken  part  in  the  war  against 
Napoleon,  and  afterward  became  a  lieutenant 
in  the  army  of  Nassau.  Later  he  fought  with 
the  Greeks  against  the  Turks,  until  1827,  when 
he  returned  to  Germany.  From  that  time 
until  1848,  he  was  in  private  life.  At  this 
period,  he  became  a  leader  in  the  Wiesbaden 
burgher-guards,  and  worked  in  harmony  with 
the  revolutionary  party,  and  was  forced  to  flee 
in  July,  and  in  September  of  the  same  year 
fought  with  Struve  in  Baden.  He  was  tall 
and  strongly  built,  and  walked  with  a  slight 
forward  stoop.  His  head  had  the  strength 
and  beauty   of  antique   sculpture,   his   face  a 


90    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

most  kindly  look.  The  grey  beard  and  long 
grey  hair  under  the  volunteer  hat  became 
him  well.  He  wore  a  black  blouse  with  a 
leather  belt,  and  out  of  the  opening  in  the 
breast  of  his  blouse  peered  two  handsome 
steel  mounted  pistols.  His  dress  was  com- 
pleted with  high  hunting  boots  and  a  sword. 

A  number  of  legions  were  formed  in  Carls- 
ruhe.  On  May  19th  the  formation  of  the 
German-Polish  Legion  was  begun  by  a  com- 
mission of  Poles  and  Germans,  and  in  a  few 
days  one  hundred  and  seventy  men  had  joined, 
which  was  later  increased  and  several  com- 
panies organised. 

On  May  27th  a  call  appeared  in  Carlsruhe 
for  the  organisation  of  a  German-Hungarian 
Legion,  whose  headquarters  were  in  the  In- 
fantry Barracks.  Stephen  Tiirr,  a  handsome 
young  man,  who  had  been  an  officer  in  the 
Austrian  army,  and  still  wore  a  Hungarian 
uniform,  was  made  its  colonel. 

In  the  first  days  of  June,  a  notice  was  also 
published  for  the  organisation  of  the  Carls- 
ruhe Free-corps  and  the  Robert  Blum  Legion, 
and  at  about  the  same  time  a  Swabian  Legion 
was  formed  in  Carlsruhe,  to  which  the  best 
blood  of  Wurtemberg  came  in  force,  a  com- 
mittee of  Wiirtembergers  having  the  matter  in 


Preparing  for  War  91 

charge,  and  to  which  the  Turners  of  Pforzheim 
in  Baden  were  afterward  attached. 

The  most  famous  of  all  the  bodies  of  men 
not  strictly  belonging  to  Baden,  however,  was 
the  Hanau  Turners.  They  were  organised 
in  Hanau,  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  in  the  latter 
part  of  May,  by  their  commander,  Schaertner, 
the  military  leader  being  Major  Woynitzki,  a 
Pole,  residing  in  Hanau,  who,  like  most  of  the 
Poles  in  the  Baden  army,  had  a  life  of  ad- 
venture behind  him.  While  a  young  man,  as 
a  lieutenant,  he  had  fought  in  the  Polish  Revo- 
lution of  1830,  and  taken  part  in  the  battles 
of  Grochow  and  Ostrolenka.  Since  those 
days  he  had  lived  in  Switzerland,  France, 
England,  Belgium,  and  Germany.  His  for- 
tunes had  been  high  and  low.  At  the  out- 
break of  the  Baden  Revolution,  returning  home 
from  Galicia,  he  was  induced  to  undertake 
the  military  leadership  of  the  Turners,  who 
were  about  to  organise  to  take  part  in  the 
Baden  Revolution. 

The  corps  consisted  of  the  young  and  pa- 
triotic element,  who  believed  in  the  cause 
they  were  assisting.  They  were  amiable 
young  fellows,  who,  by  their  proper  be- 
haviour, turner  dress,  and  the  patriotic  songs 
which  they  sang,  roused  the  utmost  enthusiasm 


92      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

wherever  they  went.  Their  advance  to  Baden 
was  watched  with  interest  all  over  South  Ger- 
many, and  the  newspapers  gave  minute  accounts 
of  their  progress.  On  June  2d  about  four  hun- 
dred of  them  left  Hanau  in  parties,  some  in 
waggons  and  some  by  steamboats  on  the  river 
Main,  for  Aschaffenburg,  where  they  arrived 
early  the  next  day,  and  passed  quietly,  with- 
out drum  beat,  through  the  town.  As  soon 
as  their  march  had  become  known  in  Frank- 
fort, General  von  Peucker,  the  imperial  com- 
mander, sent  a  flying  column  consisting  of 
cavalry,  artillery,  and  two  companies  of  Hessian 
infantry  in  pursuit.  The  Hessians,  who  had 
been  stationed  in  Hanau,  when  they  learned 
that  they  were  to  fight  against  volunteers,  are 
said  to  have  stopped  at  Iserburg,  and  refused 
to  march  farther. 

From  Aschaffenburg  the  Turners  first  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Frankish  village  of  Miltenberg, 
where  they  were  given  a  most  enthusiastic  wel- 
come and  entertainments  prepared  in  their 
honour.  From  there  they  crossed  the  Baden 
frontier  to  Wallthurn,  and  went  direct  to  the 
seat  of  war  at  Neckargemiind,  where  they  were 
given  quarters.  Later,  when  the  Heilbronn 
Turners  came  from  Wiirtemberg,  they  were 
made  a  fourth  company  of  the  Hanau  Turners. 


Preparing  for  War  93 

On  May  15th  Friedrich  Wilhelm  IV.  of 
Prussia  published  his  manifesto,  "  To  my 
people,"  in  which  he  declared  war,  not  only 
against  the  new  government  of  Baden,  but 
against  the  National  Assembly  at  Frankfort 
as  well,  saying : 

"  Under  pretext  of  the  German  cause,  the  enemies 
of  the  fatherland,  first  in  neighbouring  Saxony,  and  then 
in  isolated  regions  in  South  Germany,  have  raised  the 
banner  of  revolt  .  .  .  against  legitimate  authority,  with 
the  purpose  of  overthrowing  divine  and  human  order  ; 
.  .  .  and  the  National  Assembly  is  now  ruled  by  a 
party,  which  stands  in  union  with  the  people  of  terror  ; 
.  .  .  Prussia  is  therefore  called  upon  ...  to 
protect  Germany  against  inner  and  outward  foes,  and 
must  and  will  fulfil  this  duty." 

Then  he  closed  with  words  ominous  with 
meaning  :  "  For  these  reasons  /  have  already 
called  my  people  to  arms.''  The  next  day  he 
also  addressed  a  proclamation  to  the  troops 
of  the  line  and  militia  (Landwekr)  in  which 
he  reminded  them  of  the  past  glories  of 
Prussia  in  the  years  181 3,  18 14,  and  18 15, 
and  asked  them  to  fight  against  lawlessness 
and  republicanism. 

In  other  German  states  the  movement  was 
looked  upon  variously.     The  Frankfort  Zeitung 


\ 


94     The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

and  many  other  conservative  organs  branded 
it  as  anarchistic.  Some  newspapers  spoke  of 
the  contemplated  formation  of  a  confederation 
of  South  German  states  on  democratic  princi- 
ples, while  others,  like  the  Hanover  Zeitung 
filr  Nord  Deutschland,  treated  it  as  a  purely 
patriotic  uprising : 


"  Many  an  honest  and  true  friend  of  the  good  cause 
might  be  deceived  into  thinking  that  the  fight  is  not  for 
the  imperial  constitution,  as  the  government  which  has 
fled,  long  before  the  Offenburg  meeting,  had  recognised 
its  validity,  ...  as  patriotic  men  they  desired  not 
only  to  be  true  to  the  imperial  constitution  in  their  little 
country,  but  also  in  the  rest  of  Germany,  .  .  .  and 
for  this  purpose  they  needed  other  powers  and  another 
government  than  the  Ministry  of  Bekk.  In  other  coun- 
tries the  people  would  have  waited  and  trusted  in  the 
government.  Here  in  South  Germany  they  are  not  so 
blind." 


In  Wiirtemberg,  the  President  of  the  Min- 
istry, Romer,  on  the  i6th  of  May,  in  answer 
to  an  interpellation  in  the  Second  Chamber, 
said  it  was  true  that  his  government  had 
been  called  upon  to  take  measures  to  regain 
possession  of  the  imperial  fortress  at  Rastatt  ; 
that  after  an  imperial  commissioner  had  been 
sent  to  Baden,  it  would  be  ascertained  whether 


Preparing  for  War  95 

the  movement  was  only  for  the  imperial  con- 
stitution ;  if,  however,  as  now  appeared  to  be 
the  case,  the  aim  was  to  organise  a  republic, 
then  the  constitutional  monarchy  must  be  re- 
established, even  by  force  of  arms,  as  the  up- 
rising would  be  aimed  directly  at  the  imperial 
constitution. 

The  people  of  Wiirtemberg,  however,  did 
not  look  on  the  matter  in  the  same  light  as 
their  government.  At  Reutling,  on  Whitsun- 
day and  Whit-Monday,  they  held  great  pub- 
lic meetings,  at  which  strong  resolutions  were 
adopted,  demanding  of  the  government  the 
withdrawal  of  its  troops  from  the  Baden  fron- 
tier, and  requesting  it  to  prohibit  the  soldiery 
of  other  states  from  passing  through  Wiirtem- 
berg,  who  had  not  been  sworn  to  uphold  the 
imperial  constitution. 

In  Heilbronn,  the  second  city  of  Wiirtem- 
berg,  the  burgher-guard  was  so  revolutionary 
that  the  government  sent  troops  and  disarmed 
it.  Some  members  would  not  give  up  their 
weapons,  but  fled  to  Baden  and  joined  the 
army  of  that  state. 

In  other  parts  of  Bavaria,  outside  of  the  Pal- 
atinate, a  revolutionary  spirit  also  appeared. 
At  Nurnberg,  a  public  meeting  in  that  interest 
took  place,  and  in  Wiirzburg  the  infantry  was 


96     The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

so  honey-combed  with  revolutionary  doctrines 
that  it  was  removed  to  Donauworth  in  order  to 
be  free  from  democratic  influences. 

A  few  days  after  the  entry  of  the  State 
Committee  into  Carlsruhe,  the  unfriendly  Ger- 
man states  formed  a  coalition  against  Baden, 
influenced  thereto  by  the  persuasions  of  the 
Grand  Duke  of  Baden,  and  began  to  draw  their 
troops  together  on  the  northern  line  of  Baden 
soon  after  the  flight  of  the  Grand  Ducal 
government. 

In  Darmstadt,  on  the  i6th,  at  the  session 
of  the  Second  Chamber  the  Minister  of  War 
gave  notice  that  by  order  of  the  Imperial  Min- 
istry, all  the  troops  of  the  Grand  Dukedom  of 
Hesse  were  being  assembled  to  fight  against 
the  uprising  in  Baden,  and  that  for  the  time 
being  they  were  to  be  quartered  between 
Darmstadt  and  the  frontier  of  Baden,  and 
would  be  under  the  command  of  General 
Wachter,  who  was  also  to  have  under  him  a 
Nassau  battalion,  in  all  ten  thousand  men. 
The  Chamber,  however,  did  not  show  the  same 
alacrity  as  the  Grand  Duke  in  the  fight  to  be 
made  on  Baden,  and  at  the  close  of  the  day's 
session  voted  down  the  proposition  to  borrow 
two  million  florins  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the 
troops.     Nevertheless,   the  mobilisation  went 


Preparing  for  War  97 

on,  in  the  face  of  the  feeling  among  the 
soldiers,  who,  in  Darmstadt,  on  the  2 2d,  as 
they  marched  to  their  barracks,  showed  many 
signs  of  revolutionary  fervour,  even  singing  the 
Hecker  song. 

Mayence,  on  the  river  Rhine,  was  almost 
in  a  state  of  siege.  The  steamers  were  visited 
by  military  patrols.  The  newspaper  editors 
were  required  to  observe  the  "  strictest  moder- 
ation." The  taverns  were  closed  at  eleven 
o'clock  at  night,  and  the  drilling  of  the  citi- 
zens, even  without  arms,  was  forbidden.  A 
guardship  on  the  Rhine  required  the  most  ab- 
solute obedience  from  all  vessels.  The  rail- 
way trains  were  also  visited  by  bodies  of  sol- 
diers. There  was  much  fear  of  the  temper 
of  the  people  of  the  city,  which  was  strongly 
democratic. 

The  commanders  of  the  armies  gathering  in 

Darmstadt,  on  the  28th,  declared  martial  law 

in    a  large  extent  of  territory  in   Hesse,   the 

Palatinate  and   Baden,  the  district  beginning   .' 

close  to  Darmstadt,  and  reaching  to  the  river  // 

Neckar,   extending  west  to   Worms,    east   to  '' 

Beerfelden  and  HIrschhorn,  and  as  far  south 

as  Germershelm.     In  the  proclamation,  It  was 

said,  "  Whoever  is  found  in  these  districts  with 

arms,  taking  part  either  In  attack  or  defence 
7 


98      The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

against  lawful  authority,  or  who  participates  in 
illegal  armed  assemblies  .  .  .  and  who- 
ever, in  whatever  way,  tries  to  lead  soldiers 
from  their  fealty  .  .  .  shall  be  punished 
with  death." 

Through  Cologne  the  movement  of  troops 
was  constant.  On  the  29th  the  Prussian  ob- 
servation corps  was  being  drawn  together  on  a 
line  extending  from  Treves  to  Kreuznach, 
near  the  frontier  of  the  Palatinate,  and  in  con- 
sequence of  the  extreme  heat,  many  of  the 
soldiers  became  sick,  and  the  hospitals  in  the 
regions  where  they  were  quartered  were  soon 
filled  to  overflowing. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  STATE  COMMITTEE 

IN  the  early  days  of  the  revolution,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  State  Committee  knew  no  rest. 
When  in  Carlsruhe,  nearly  all  lodged  at  the 
Pariser  Hof,  a  hotel  on  the  Lange  Strasse. 
Often,  however,  the  more  prominent  among 
them  were  absent  in  different  parts  of  Ba- 
den, arranging  the  various  details  necessary 
to  get  the  new  governmental  machinery  in- 
to good  working  order.  Brentano,  Fickler, 
Werner,  and  Goegg  were  now  here,  now 
there.  The  Pariser  Hof  and  the  streets  in 
the  neighbourhood  were  crowded  with  a  jost- 
ling and  pushing,  but  picturesque,  lot  of 
people. 

The  State  Committee  held  its  first  sessions 
in  the  council  chamber  of  the  Townhall,  and 
later  in  the  hall  of  the  Second  Chamber  in 
the  Assembly  House.  The  body  consisted 
of  close  to  thirty  members.  The  meetings, 
however,    were    irregularly    attended.      Now 

99 


loo    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

there  were  twenty  members  present,  then  only 
six  or  seven.  When  the  attendance  was  full 
it  presented  a  curious  and  unique  spectacle. 
Among  the  members  of  the  body  were  com- 
mon soldiers,  infantrymen,  artillerymen,  and 
the  dragoon  Henneka,  each  in  the  uniform  of 
his  arm  of  the  service. 

Then  there  was  Eichfeld,  his  imposing  figure 
clad  in  his  officer's  uniform,  over  which  was  the 
black,  red,  and  gold  scarf.  The  representa- 
tives from  civil  life,  while  wearing  their  ordin- 
ary dress,  also  had  across  their  breasts  wide 
scarfs,  like  that  worn  by  Eichfeld,  many  of 
them  also  carrying  swords  at  their  sides. 

The  man  who  towered  far  above  any  of 
the  others  in  the  State  Committee  was  Bren- 
tano.  His  ruling  passion  —  for  which  he  strove 
with  every  effort  of  his  strong  will  —  was  to 
keep  the  revolution  from  becoming  a  record  of 
lawlessness  and  crime  like  the  French  Revolu- 
tion of  1793,  and  so  to  conduct  the  affairs  of 
state,  that  there  would  be  as  little  disturbance 
as  possible  in  the  government,  and  in  industrial 
and  commercial  affairs.  So,  when  Von  Born- 
stedt  came  to  Carlsruhe  after  his  escape  with 
Struve  from  the  Bruchsal  prison,  imbued  with 
Parisian  communistic  ideas,  wildly  clamouring 
for  the  establishment  of  a  red  republic  and  the 


The  State  Committee  loi 

guillotine,  he  was,  on  May  17th,  promptly  ar-   ^y 
rested  by  order  of  Brentano  and  imprisoned 
in  the  fortress  of  Kislau. 

Brentano  was  a  man  thirty-six  years  of  age, 
born  at  Mannheim,  and  since  1846  a  Deputy 
to  the  Baden  Landtag.  His  figure  was  tall 
and  slight,  his  face  haggard.  At  the  time 
he  wore  a  moustache  and  short  beard,  with  a 
narrow  rim  of  whiskers  about  his  cheeks.  With 
high  sloping  forehead,  large  bright  eyes,  thin 
hair,  and  a  small,  determined  mouth,  he  gave 
the  impression  of  being  a  man  who  was,  intel- 
lectually, away  above  the  average. 

For  years,  he  had  been  the  friend  of 
Hecker,  and  the  champion  of  Liberalism,  but 
had  too  clear  an  insight  into  public  affairs  to 
be  led  into  the  error  of  followinof  Hecker  in 
his  mad  enterprise.  The  year  before,  he  had 
been  a  member  of  the  Heidelberg  Conference 
of  March  5th.  On  March  8,  1849,  he  had 
resigned  his  seat  as  Deputy  to  the  Landtag,  be- 
cause, as  he  said,  "  he  considered  that  body  no 
longer  fit  to  make  laws."  He  and  sixteen 
other  members  had  withdrawn  in  the  course  of 
a  few  weeks,  largely  influenced  thereto  by  the 
Provisional  State  Committee  at  Mannheim,  and 
their  places  had  not  been  filled,  as  a  sufficient 
number  of  electors  could  not  be  induced  to 


\> 


I02    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

attend  the  elections  which  were  held.  When 
Struve,  Blind,  Von  Bornstedt  and  the  others 
were  tried  for  the  uprising  of  September,  1848, 
it  was  Brentano  who  was  their  leading  counsel, 
and  by  his  adroit  management  saved  their 
lives,  procuring  a  trial  by  the  civil,  instead  of 
the  military  courts,  on  the  technicality  that 
martial  law  had  only  been  proclaimed  after  the 
fight  at  Staufen,  where  the  prisoners  were  cap- 
tured. In  the  Frankfort  National  Assembly 
he  was  a  member  of  the  extreme  Left,  called 
the  "  Donnersberg,"  and  after  Hecker's  up- 
rising, when  the  question  was  debated  as  to 
whether  Hecker,  who  had  been  elected  a 
member,  should  be  admitted,  notwithstanding 
the  fact  of  his  having  taken  up  arms  against 
the  lawful  government  of  Baden,  Brentano  ex- 
claimed in  an  angry  tone  :  "  Will  you  set 
back  those  who  have  taken  up  arms  in  Baden, 
in  favour  of  the  Prince  of  Prussia,  who  has  done 
more  ?"  A  riot  was  almost  precipitated  by  the 
Prussia-loving  conservatives,  and  quiet  was 
only  restored  by  closing  the  session,  and  the 
next  day  Brentano  was  called  to  order  by  the 
President.  This  only  increased  his  popularity 
in  Baden. 

From  the   first  his    influence   in   the   State 
Committee  was  most  powerful,  and  he  always 


The  State  Committee  103 

bent  that  body  to  his  will.  Whenever  an 
extreme  measure  which  did  not  meet  his  ap- 
proval, was  enacted  during  his  absence  by  the 
influence  of  Strove  or  some  other  radical,  he 
was  sure  to  have  the  matter  reconsidered  at 
the  next  meetingr  which  he  attended,  or  see 
that  the  obnoxious  law,  or  order,  or  decree  was 
never  executed.  With  the  army  his  influence 
was  no  less  great. 

His  manner  of  life  and  habits  were  simple, 
and  even  his  greatest  enemies  admitted  that 
he  was  a  man  of  sterling  honesty.  His  con- 
science did  not  permit  him  to  draw  from  the 
public  treasury  as  salary  more  than  a  mere 
pittance  of  three  gulden  (about  one  dollar  and 
twenty  cents)  a  day,  while  his  travelling  and 
other  expenses  he  paid  out  of  his  private  purse. 

The  most  widely  known  personage  in  the 
whole  State  Committee  was  perhaps  Gustav 
Struve.  By  birth  a  man  of  title,  the  prefix 
*'von,"  which  he  never  used,  being  part  of  his 
family  name,  he  was  too  much  of  a  demo- 
crat to  stand  on  his  nobility.  Highly  edu- 
cated, he  had  been  intended  for  a  diplomatic 
career  like  that  of  his  father,  but  became  a 
lawyer  and  then  a  journalist. 

For  years  he  had  been  before  the  public  as 
a  radical  editor,  first  of  the  Ma.nnhQim yournal, 


I04    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

and,  after  his  removal  from  that  paper  by  its 
owner,  the  Mannheim  Catholic  Burgher  Hos- 
pital, as  the  publisher  of  the  Deutsche  Zti- 
schauer,  which  soon  had  an  extraordinarily  large 
circulation.  H  is  appearance  was  disordered  and 
unwashed.  In  the  State  Committee  he  wore 
at  his  side  a  mighty  sword,  and  the  tri-coloured 
scarf  across  his  breast  was  twisted  like  a  rope, 
the  ends  being  nearly  always  knotted  together 
under  his  arm. 

He  was  a  man  of  ideals.  More  than  once 
he  had  been  sent  to  prison  for  saying  in  one  or 
the  other  of  his  papers  that  which  he  believed 
to  be  true,  but  which  offended  someone  in 
authority.  He  had  written  a  romance  and  a 
book  on  vegetarianism,  which  cult  he  also  prac- 
tised. His  politics  were  those  of  the  recluse 
who  never  comes  in  contact  with  the  life  and 
struggle  of  the  outer  world. 

With  Hecker  he  had  attended  at  Offenbure: 
the  public  meeting  of  September  12,  1847, 
and  with  him  had  been  one  of  the  leading 
spirits  in  that  movement.  It  was  he,  who  on 
March  i,  1848,  in  the  Second  Chamber  at 
Carlsruhe,  handed  Hecker  the  petition  of  the 
citizens  of  Mannheim,  asking  for  certain  re- 
forms. From  that  time  forward  he  had  been 
a  republican,  believing  that  that  form  of  gov- 


The  State  Committee  105 

ernment  was  the  only  proper  one  for  the 
people. 

On  April  2d,  with  Hecker  and  about  forty 
others,  he  had  withdrawn  from  the  Prelimi- 
nary Parliament,  because  his  party  was  not 
given"  the  consideration  which  he  thought  it 
merited.  His  name  was  known  everywhere 
in  connection  with  that  of  Hecker,  but  he  did 
not  possess  the  weight  with  the  State  Com- 
mittee nor  with  the  masses,  which  a  man  of 
his  ability  perhaps  deserved,  or  which  he  de- 
sired. He  was  a  republican  above  everything, 
and  by  many  considered  a  socialist,  owing  to 
his  friendship  for  Karl  Blind,  well  known  as  a 
believer  in  that  doctrine.  His  open  republi- 
canism did  not  suit  the  wise  directing  heads 
of  the  State  Committee,  who  wanted  to  estab- 
lish the  government  on  a  firm  basis  before 
scaring  the  German  princes,  big  and  little, 
with  the  spectre  of  a  republic.  While  pos- 
sessing a  strong  moral  sense,  he  was  at  times 
led  away  by  a  truly  fanatical  violence. 

He  was  the  only  member  who  opposed  Bren- 
tano,  and  was  the  representative  of  reckless  ter- 
rorism, while  Brentano  was  the  exemplification 
of  conservatism,  the  majority  of  the  State  Com- 
mittee being  favourable  to  that  class  of  politics. 
His  manner  of  speech  was  cold  and  monoto- 


io6   The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

nous  and  aroused  no  sympathy,  but  he  was 
master  of  a  certain  revolutionary  doctrine, 
which  he  preached  with  the  earnestness  of  an 
enthusiast.  He  was  a  student  and  an  admirer 
of  Robespierre  and  Jacobinism,  and  of  the 
French  Revolution  of  1793  and  1794.  While 
he  preached  terrorism,  he  was  yet  too  tender- 
hearted ever  to  think  of  carrying  it  into  effect. 
On  the  retreat  of  Mieroslawski  from  Heidel- 
berg, after  the  defeat  at  Wiesenthal,  Struve 
was  present  when  the  General  and  Sigel 
were  arrested  by  Colonel  Thome.  When 
asked  at  Freiburg  by  some  members  of  the 
Imperial  Parliament  to  whom  he  was  relating 
the  incident,  how  Thome  had  been  punished 
for  his  act,  after  the  release  of  the  prisoners — 
whether  he  had  been  shot,  he  stepped  back  in 
amazement  and  exclaimed,  "  What,  shot !  "  at 
which  his  auditors  all  broke  into  uproarious 
laughter. 

Another  strong  character  in  the  State  Com- 
mittee was  Joseph  Fickler.  He  lived  at  Con- 
stance, in  the  extreme  south  of  Baden,  where 
he  was  born  in  1808,  and  where  he  was  the 
publisher  of  the  well-known  Seebldtter.  This 
rather  short,  broad-shouldered  man,  whose 
strong  and  friendly  features  could  not  be  dis- 
tinguished from  those  of  the  ordinary  Black 


The  State  Committee  107 

Forest  peasant,  by  the  energy  of  his  character 
and  his  spotless  hfe,  had  gained  great  popu- 
larity, not  only  in  the  district  in  which  he 
lived,  and  in  the  contiguous  Black  Forest,  but 
in  the  whole  of  Baden.  He  was  a  man  of 
action  and  for  a  time  had  appeared  fighting  the 
unpopular  Blittersdorf  Ministry  in  Baden,  then 
as  the  exponent  of  German  Catholicism  as 
against  the  Catholicism  of  Rome  ;  finally  he 
began  painting  pictures  of  the  beauties  of 
republicanism,  to  which  he  made  many  con- 
verts, and  to  which  doctrine  he  was  still  an 
adherent. 

On  April  8,  1848,  he  had  been  arrested  by 
the  Baden  government,  as  it  was  supposed  he 
was  about  to  join  Hecker  in  his  contemplated 
uprising,  and  had  only  been  set  free  on  May  9, 
1849,  ^  ^^w  days  before  the  revolution  broke 
out,  the  jury  which  tried  him  having  brought 
in  a  verdict  of  acquittal.  He  was  now,  through 
his  long  imprisonment,  looked  upon  as  a  mar- 
tyr to  the  cause.  His  practical  sense  con- 
demned the  impracticable  proposals  of  the 
young  republicans  in  the  State  Committee. 
He  knew  how  to  lead  the  often  exaggerated 
and  impetuous  demands  of  Struve's  party  in- 
to the  proper  channels,  whereby  a  breach 
between     that     party     and     Brentano     was 


io8    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

prevented.  He  repressed  his  republican  desires 
and  hopes  in  favour  of  that  which  could  then 
be  attained,  and  was  honestly  for  the  imperial 
constitution,  without  giving  up  his  republican 
sentiments. 

Amand  Goegg  was  also  a  notable  figure. 
Young,  handsome  in  person,  always  elegantly 
dressed,  he  owed  his  rise  in  the  revolutionary 
ranks  to  his  activity,  with  Brentano,  at  the 
head  of  the  Mannheim  Provisional  Committee 
of  the  People's  Clubs.  He  was  honest,  good- 
natured,  and  disinterested ;  and  as  an  agitator 
had  rendered  his  cause  great  service,  as  none 
knew  better  than  he  how  to  influence  the 
masses  by  his  speeches  and  addresses. 

The  profession  of  the  law,  as  in  most  legis- 
lative or  governmental  bodies,  had  the  largest 
number  of  representatives  in  the  State  Com- 
mittee. Among  them  was  Karl  von  Rotteck,  of 
Freiburg,  son  of  that  famous  Professor  von 
Rotteck,  who  had  been  for  years  the  Liberal 
leader  in  the  Baden  Landtag,  and  who,  in  con- 
junction with  Professor  Karl  Welcker,  of  the 
same  place,  had  written  the  well-known  Politi- 
cal Dictionary  {Staats  -  Lexicon).  Junghans, 
of  Mosbach,  besides  practising  law  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  National  Assembly.  Then  came 
Max    Werner,    of    Appenweier ;     Richter,   of 


The  State  Committee  109 

Achern ;  Torrent,  of  Waldshut ;  Barbo,  of 
Emmendingen,  and  Ziegler,  of  Carlsruhe,  the 
last  being  famous  only  because  he  sometimes 
appeared  dressed  in  a  white  turner  suit,  a  broad 
belt  around  his  waist,  in  which  he  carried 
pistols,  the  usual  sword  at  his  side,  and  a 
burgher-guard  helmet  on  his  head. 

Others  were  the  first  Minister  of  War  and 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  army,  Lieutenant 
Karl  Eichfeld,  who  had  been  proposed  for 
those  positions  by  Struve.  His  personality 
was  dreamy  and  retiring,  with  a  love  for  the 
scientific  and  artistic  pursuits  of  a  quiet  life. 
Ignatz  Peter  was  a  man  of  talent,  a  Judge, 
a  member  of  the  National  Assembly  at 
Frankfort,  who,  while  a  radical  Deputy  in 
the  Baden  Landtag,  had  been  appointed 
Director  of  the  district  surrounding  Con- 
stance, when  the  Hecker  uprising  was  ex- 
pected to  take  place,  and  had  been  made 
Statthalter  of  the  "  Republic  of  Constance," 
as  Hecker's  short-lived  grovernment  had  been 
called,  and  who,  because  he  did  not  do 
what  the  government  expected  of  him,  had 
been  persecuted.  Damm  was  the  director 
of  the  gymnasium  at  Tauberbischofsheim, 
had  been  a  priest  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  and  was  now  a  Deputy  to  the  National 


no    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Assembly,  as  well  as  an  important  member  of 
the  State  Committee.  Stay,  of  Heidelberg, 
also  possessed  a  certain  prominence.  Formerly 
a  schoolmaster,  he  had  become  a  journalist, 
publishing  the  Volksfiihrer^  which  had  the 
largest  circulation  of  any  paper  of  its  kind  in 
Baden.  Steinmetz,  a  writer,  of  Durlach,  and 
Heinrich  Hoff,  a  bookseller,  of  Mannheim, 
were  noteworthy  as  speakers ;  while  the  drug- 
gist, Rehmann,  of  Offenburg,  and  Thiebauth, 
councilman  and  tavern-keeper  at  Ettlingen, 
were  important  on  account  of  their  local 
influence. 

The  soldier  members  of  the  body  were  intelli- 
gent fellows,  who  owed  their  positions  to  their 
ability  to  make  speeches  at  the  soldiers'  meet- 
ings, which  fact  had  finally  ended  in  their  ar- 
rest, under  the  old  regime.  Their  influence, 
however,  in  the  final  enactments  of  the  State 
Committee  was  inconsiderable. 

This  was  the  body  which  was  doing  the 
work  of  organising  the  government,  and  at 
the  same  time  making  preparations  to  meet 
the  coming  invasion. 

Most  of  the  acts  of  the  body  were  signalised 
by  the  publication  of  proclamations  and  de- 
crees, which  appeared  in  the  official  news- 
paper, and  remain  as  an   index  of  the  minds 


The  State  Committee  m 

and  methods  of  its  members.  To  quiet  the 
pubHc  clamour  against  the  burgher-guard  of 
Carlsruhe,  on  May  15th,  the  Minister  of  War 
was  directed  to  dissolve  that  reactionary  body, 
but  the  next  day  this  decree  was  changed,  and 
the  burgher-guard,  as  constituted,  was  to  be  re- 
modelled, and  the  first  levy  of  troops  for  the 
city,  organised  out  of  it. 

The  soldiers  were  uneasy  about  their  pay, 
so  the  Executive  Commission  on  May  i6th 
fixed  the  pay  of  all  the  troops  under  the  rank 
of  first  sergeant  major,  and  first  sergeant,  at 
four  kreutzers  a  day. 

The  Grand  Ducal  Ministers,  who  had  left 
the  country  with  their  master,  were  on  this 
day  formally  dismissed  from  their  offices.  As 
the  intelligence  had  gone  out  that  the  mem- 
bers of  the  State  Committee  were  not  acting 
in  harmony,  all  the  representatives  signed  a 
paper  denying  the  statement,  and  branding  it 
as  false.  The  old  prejudice  against  the  Jews 
came  to  the  surface,  and  there  was  danger  of 
a  certain  lawless  element  among  the  revolu- 
tionists committing  violence  against  this  part 
of  the  population  of  Baden.  Brentano,  there- 
fore, as  Minister  of  the  Interior,  in  a  calm 
appeal  to  the  people,  urged  them  not  to  allow 
themselves  to  be  led  astray  by  designing  men, 


112    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

whose  only  object  was  to  injure  the  cause  for 
which  they  had  risen. 

In  answer  to  the  universal  demand  on  the 
government  for  arms,  Eichfeld,  as  Minister  of 
War,  addressed  a  communication  to  all  the 
municipalities,  advising  them  to  arm  their 
people  with  whatever  they  could  procure, 
promising  soon  to  furnish  money  to  purchase 
arms  ;  and  also  requested  all  private  persons 
who  had  weapons,  whether  in  large  or  small 
quantities,  to  give  them  to  the  government. 
^  aC|  ^  On  May  17th,  a  number  of  important  mat- 
j)  ters  were  acted  upon.      Universal  arming  was 

decreed  with  the  immediate  mobilisation  of  the 
first  levy,  which  was  to  consist  of  all  unmar- 
ried males,  capable  of  bearing  arms,  from 
eighteen  to  thirty  years  of  age,  provision  be- 
ing made  for  a  second  and  third  levy.  Steps 
were  also  immediately  taken  to  carry  the  de- 
cree into  effect.  Provision  was  also  made  to 
purchase  arms  in  foreign  countries,  the  sup- 
plies in  the  armouries  being  exhausted ;  and 
preparations  were  begun  for  drilling  the  troops 
of  the  first  levy. 

When  the  State  Committee  entered  Carls- 
ruhe,  it  found,  in  round  numbers,  two  million 
florins  in  the  State  Treasury,  which  the  Grand 
Ducal   government,   in    its    hasty    flight,   had 


The  State  Committee  113 

been  unable  to  carry  off.  The  demand  for 
funds  from  all  parts  of  Baden  was  so  great, 
however,  that,  in  a  proclamation,  the  people 
were  told  that  the  money  in  the  Treasury 
could  only  be  used  for  the  ordinary  business 
of  the  country,  and  a  hint  was  given  that  the 
wealthy  might  contribute  of  their  means  to 
the  cause  of  freedom. 

The  Chambers  were  dissolved,  and  a  Con- 
stituent Assembly  called,  the  elections  to  which 
were  to  be  held  June  3d,  1849,  ^^  which 
every  citizen  twenty-one  years  of  age  was  given 
the  right  to  vote,  the  Assembly  to  convene 
in  Carlsruhe  on  June  loth.  Other  work  of 
this  day  was  to  declare  all  enactments  of  the 
Chambers  since  January  17,  1849,  null  and  void, 
and  to  pass  a  law  for  the  formation  of  a  great 
land  pension  fund,  for  the  benefit  of  all  old 
citizens  who  were  unable  longer  to  labour. 
Another  was  the  decree  setting  free  all  politi- 
cal prisoners,  and  calling  back  to  his  father- 
land, "  Citizen  Friedrich  Hecker,  now  in 
North  America,  in  order  that  his  services  may 
be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  country,"  and 
three  turners  were  at  once  sent  to  Bremen, 
thence  to  sail  for  New  York,  with  dispatches 
asking  Hecker  to  return. 

An  act  of  the  same  day  of  much  moment,  was 


114    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

the  signing  of  an  agreement  for  a  military  union 
with  the  Palatinate,  by  which  the  Baden  govern- 
ment was  to  control  the  armies  of  both  states, 
and  the  people  were  to  be  looked  upon  as  be- 
longing to  one  country. 

After  this  mass  of  work,  followed  a  long 
list  of  addresses,  proclamations,  decrees,  and 
orders.  Then,  on  the  19th,  was  published  an 
address,  in  reply  to  the  one  issued  by  the  Min- 
isters of  the  Grand  Duke,  on  May  14th.  The 
same  day  the  press  was  declared  free,  and  it 
was  ordered  that  juries  should  sit  in  all  pri- 
vate lawsuits  against  the  press. 

That  part  of  the  resolutions  of  the  Offen- 
burg  Assembly  relating  to  the  election  of  the 
officers  of  the  army  by  their  men  was  defined 
to  mean  all  officers  up  to  the  rank  of  captain 
and  Rittmeister  (captain  of  dragoons). 

An  important  change  was  made  in  the  com- 
mand of  the  army  on  May  26th,  Franz  Sigel 
being  appointed  Commander-in-Chief  of  all 
the  troops  stationed  on  the  Neckar  River,  and 
Imperial  Deputy  Raveaux  designated  to  aid 
him  as  political  adviser.  Colonel  Eichfeld, 
the  former  commander  of  the  troops,  was 
given  command  of  the  Bodyguard  Regiment ; 
Captain  Meyerhofer  was  named  as  Sigel's 
Deputy  in  the  War  Department.     The  same 


The  State  Committee  115 

day,  Julius  Froebel,  the  Imperial  Deputy  who 
had  been  in  Vienna  with  Robert  Blum,  and 
with  him  had  been  sentenced  to  death,  but 
afterward  set  free,  was  appointed  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  Baden  to  the  Palatinate. 

A  joint  embassy  was  also  sent  to  Paris, 
consisting  of  Cullmann,  of  the  Palatinate,  as 
ambassador ;  Didier,  of  the  same  place,  and 
Karl  Blind,  as  secretaries,  with  instructions  to 
ask  for  assistance  from  the  French  Republic. 
The  embassy  failed  to  accomplish  its  purpose, 
and  was  promptly  arrested  by  the  government 
of  that  arch  imperialist,  Louis  Napoleon,  at 
the  time  masquerading  as  a  republican. 

On  May  26th,  the  soldier  members  of  the 
State  Committee  published  an  address,  en- 
titled "  The  Baden  Soldiers  to  Their  Com- 
rades in  the  Rest  of  Germany,"  which,  while 
couched  in  crude,  homely  German,  gave  a 
plain,  straightforward  account  of  the  principal 
causes  which  had  brought  about  the  mutiny  in 
the  army,  and  deserves  to  be  preserved  as  a 
record  of  a  heroic  time. 

"  You  have  probably  already  heard  what  good  work 
we  have  done  in  our  little  Baden,  and  if  you  have  not 
yet  heard  of  it,  the  reaction,  and  the  court  camarilla 
which  still  reigns  with  you,  will  not  fail  to  make  you  a 
beautiful   picture   of   our   carrying   on.     We   will    not, 


ii6    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

however,  allow  ourselves  to  be  placed  in  an  ill  light  before 
you,  and  would  tell  you  ourselves,  what  we  have  done, 
and  why  we  did  it,  and  thereafter  you  can  boil  or  bake  it. 
"  First  we  must  say  to  you,  that  for  a  long  time,  the 
»,  attempt  has  been  made  with  us,  to  quietly  undermine  the 
-/  imperial  constitution,  which  is  to  be  the  law  of  all  Ger- 
many, The  fundamental  law  has  been  announced,  and 
in  it  we  find  that  all  citizens  are  equal  before  the  law  ; 
that  they  have  the  right  of  assemblage,  and  of  freely 
meeting,  and  many  such  things  .  .  .  but  we  are 
treated  like  the  dear  cattle,  as  if  we  had  no  reason,  the 
same  as  other  people.  Order  and  submission  there 
must  be,  that  is  true,  but  we  want  to  know  why  we  sub- 
mit, and  to  whom,  for  that  purpose  God  has  given  us 
reason.  Why  should  the  soldier  alone  be  the  step-child 
of  the  state  ?  This  cannot  remain  so  any  longer.  We 
do  not  want  to  be  like  the  dogs,  which  are  led  by  a  rope 
and  then  let  loose,  and  set  on  their  fellow  citizens.  .  .  . 
They  provide  for  arrests,  and  one  scarcely  turns,  when 
bang,  he  sits  in  a  hole.  .  .  .  We  do  not  want  any 
more  officers  who  are  set  over  us  from  above  .  .  . 
officers  who  often  know  nothing  in  God's  world,  and 
only  become  officers  because  they  are  nobles,  or  are 
wealthy,  or  because  they  have  been  the  chamber  kitten 
of  some  court  or  other  Frdulein. 

"Such  officers  have  nothing  in  their  heads  but 
haughtiness,  and  understand  nothing,  and  bother  the' 
soldiers.  Now,  however,  it  is  different,  we  have  elected 
our  officers  ourselves.  Now  a  soldier  can  also  have 
pleasure  in  his  state,  as  everybody  who  is  skilful  and 
smart,  and  conducts  himself  properly,  can  himself  be- 
come an  officer  as  a  reward  and  honour  for  the  same." 


CHAPTER    VII 

THE  UPRISING  IN  THE  RHINE-PALATINATE 

OF  BAVARIA  FOR  THE  IMPERIAL 

CONSTITUTION 

IN  the  Rhine-Palatinate  adjoining  Baden  on 
the  west,  the  revolution  had  commenced 
even  before  the  uprising  in  the  latter  state. 

In  1849  ^^^  Palatinate  was  constituted  as  at 
present,  and  was  a  district  comprising  an  area 
of  2289  square  miles,  containing  about  half 
a  million  inhabitants.  It  is  a  portion  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Bavaria,  although  entirely  sepa- 
rated from  Bavaria  proper. 

When  the  King  of  Bavaria  declined  to  ac- 
knowledge the  binding  force  of  the  imperial 
constitution,  the  indomitable  Palatines  almost 
universally  rose  against  their  government. 

There  met  in  the  granary  at  Kaiserslautern, 
on  May  ist,  the  Palatinate  Deputies  to  the  Ba- 
varian Second  Chamber,  the  Deputies  to  the 
National  Assembly,  the  members  of  the  Coun- 
cil i^LandratJi)  and  electors  (  Wahlmdnner)  of 
the  province,  the  Burgomasters  and  representa- 

117 


ii8    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

tives  of  the  communities  {Gemeinden)^  and 
organised  a  Committee  of  National  Defence, 
which  the  next  day  declared  itself  permanent, 
and  on  May  3d  took  steps  to  raise  troops.  It 
was  difficult,  however,  to  carry  this  resolution 
into  effect,  and  bring  an  armed  force  into  the 
field,  as  there  was  neither  money,  arms,  nor 
ammunition  on  hand,  nor  were  there  capable 
officers  in  the  country. 

•  About  five  hundred  of  the  troops  stationed  in 
the  imperial  fortress  of  Germersheim  went  over 
to  the  people,  as  did  also  some  others  who  were 
sent  to  reinforce  that  place.  A  number  of 
armed  bodies  came  from  outside  countries  to 
assist  in  the  fight  for  the  imperial  constitution, 
the  most  notable  of  which  was  the  body  of 
men  which  the  former  Imperial  Deputy,  Zitz  of 
Mayence,  brought  from  Rhine-Hesse,  and  the 
legion  from  Besangon  of  Von  Willich.  Zitz's 
legion  consisted  of  turners,  workmen,  and 
travelling  journeymen,  several  hundred  being 
well  armed,  while  the  rest  either  had  no  arms 
at  all,  or  had  weapons  which  appeared  to  have 
come  from  the  armies  of  all  times  and  nations. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  movement,  the  mili- 
tary commander  was  Fenner  von  Fenneburg, 
who  had  been  chief-of-staff  to  the  unfortu- 
nate   Wenzel    Messenhauser,  in   the  uprising 


uprising  in  the  Rhine-Palatinate     119 

in  Vienna  in  the  previous  autumn ;  but  on 
May  2 1  St  he  was  superseded  by  General 
Sznayda,  who  attempted  the  almost  impossible 
task  of  organising  an  army  without  the  neces- 
sary money  or  war  materials.  Sznayda  had 
been  a  general  of  cavalry  in  the  Polish  Re- 
bellion of  1830,  and  since  that  time  had  lived 
in  Paris,  sometimes  in  very  reduced  circum- 
stances. 

This  odd-looking  little  man,  with  his  close- 
cropped  grey  moustache  and  beard,  broad 
stature,  protruding  abdomen  and  short  legs, 
with  the  black,  red,  and  gold  cords  on  his  uni- 
form, high  black  cravat,  long  gauntlets,  and 
orders  on  his  breast,  was  the  subject  of  all 
sorts  of  comments,  adverse  and  otherwise, 
among  his  not  over  polite  troops. 

Various  means  were  adopted  to  raise  money, 
including  a  forced  loan,  which  were  not  very 
successful.  Many  patriotic  men,  however, 
gave  of  their  substance  voluntarily,  and  the 
women  worked  making  blouses  for  the  national 
guard. 

Of  actual  fighting  in  the  Palatinate,  there 
was  little.  Blenker's  daring  and  skilful  at- 
tempt to  capture  the  fortress  of  Landau  re- 
minds one  of  the  brave  deeds  of  the  knights 
of  old ;  and  his  capture  of  Worms  in  Rhine- 


I20    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Hesse,  and  his  hasty  retreat  from  the  same, 
is  the  only  miHtary  incident  worthy  of  much 
attention. 

Ludwig  Blenker  was  a  bold  character,  thirty- 
seven  years  old.  In  1832  he  had  joined  the 
Bavarian  Legion,  which  accompanied  Prince 
Otho  of  Bavaria  on  his  journey  to  Greece  to 
be  crowned  King  of  that  country.  He  re- 
mained in  the  Greek  service  until  1837,  when  he 
returned  to  Germany  with  the  rank  of  lieu- 
tenant and  became  a  merchant.  He  was 
a  handsome  man  of  military  aspect  and 
obliging  manners,  and  was  always  accom- 
panied on  his  campaigns  by  his  wife,  an  in- 
teresting blonde  of  good  features,  who  dressed 
like  a  man,  wore  trousers  and  boots,  and  a 
brown  blouse  with  a  leather  belt,  and  rode  be- 
side her  husband  at  the  head  of  his  troops. 
Many  stories  were  told  of  her  skill  with  rifle 
and  pistol,  and  her  pictures  were  displayed 
all  over  Germany. 

In  the  middle  of  lune,  the  whole  move- 
\  ment  in  the  Palatinate  came  to  a  sudden  end. 
\  The  Prussians  had  entered  the  province  on 
"^j  June  1 2th,  and  marched  in  five  columns  into 
the  country,  little  opposition  being  encoun- 
tered. Only  on  June  14th,  in  the  town  of 
Kirchheimbolanden,  the  barricades  which  had 


Uprising  in  the  Rhine-Palatinate     121 

been  erected  were  stubbornly  defended.  Even 
/  a  young  woman,  the  courageous  and  beautiful 
Matilda  Hitzfeld,  stood  high  on  the  barricades, 
pistols  in  her  belt  and  a  red  flag  in  her  hand, 
encouraging  the  defenders,  until  after  a  dozen 
or  more  were  killed,  and  many  wounded,  the 
place  was  evacuated. 

The  only  other  clash  which  the  Palatines  had 
with  the  Prussians  was  in  the  Annweiler 
Valley,  where  a  body  of  sixteen  hundred  men, 
under  Von  Willich  and  Schimmelpfennig,  were 
surprised  by  the  Prussians,  and  before  they 
could  effect  their  retreat,  the  newly  invented  V 
needle  guns  of  the  Prussians  had  killed 
seventeen,  and  wounded  a  large  number  of 
others. 

The  Provisional  government  fled  to  Neu- 
stadt,  and  on  the  17th  crossed  the  Rhine 
into  Baden.  After  Mieroslawski  assumed  com- 
mand of  the  Baden-Palatine  army  he  at  once 
saw  the  hopelessness  of  attempting  to  defend 
the  Palatinate,  and  ordered  General  Sznayda 
to  oppose  the  approaching  Prussian  army 
only  to  the  extent  necessary  to  observe  their 
movements  and  prevent  his  forces  from  being 
cut  off  one  from  another. 

On  Sunday  morning,  June  17th,  the  ad- 
vance guard   of   the    Palatine   army   reached 


122    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Langenkandel,  and  with  dejection  and  tears 
in  their  eyes,  the  men  began  crossing  the 
Kniehng  bridge  across  the  Rhine  into  Baden. 
Brentano  was  at  the  bridge  to  meet  them  and 
consuh  with  General  Sznayda. 

By  noon  the  next  day  the  last  of  the  Pala- 
tines had  crossed  the  river,  the  van  of  the 
army  arriving  in  Carlsruhe  at  about  the  same 
hour. 

They  had  with  them  what  they  called  the 
Landau  Siege  Battery  under  Colonel  Anneke, 
consisting  of  twelve  pieces,  cannon,  howitzers, 
and  two  mortars  which  had  been  obtained  from 
the  Carlsruhe  Armoury.  The  cannon  were 
wonderful  to  behold,  and  were  variously  desig- 
nated "key"  guns  and  "Corpus  Christi  Pro- 
cession "  cannon. 

In  motley  disorder  the  force  entered  the 
city.  Infantrymen  —  Bavarians  and  a  few  Bad- 
eners  —  volunteers,  Swiss,  sharpshooters,  and 
scythemen  all  inextricably  intermingled.  Fifty 
or  sixty  forage  waggons  and  all  sorts  of  vehicles 
for  the  conveyance  of  ammunition  and  weapons, 
some  containing  scythes,  came  with  them.  On 
the  open  space  in  front  of  the  Infantry  Barracks, 
a  halt  of  several  hours  was  made.  Of  discipline 
there  was  no  semblance.  On  a  waeeon  con- 
taining  many  kegs  of  powder,  sat  a  man  smok- 


uprising  in  the  Rliine-Palatinate     123 

ing  a  cigar.  What  tales  these  tired  warriors 
told  !  One  more  garrulous  than  the  others 
related : 

"  Before  we  were  really  aware  that  the  Prussians  were 
already  in  the  Annweiler  Valley,  from  all  corners  and 
ends  came  Prussian  conical  bullets  out  of  their  needle 
guns,  sowing  death  and  destruction  around.  All  of  a 
sudden  nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  helmets  and  Heaven. 
The  Prussians  appeared  as  if  sprung  from  the  ground. 
Those  who  could  still  fly  fled,  scolding  and  swearing, 
and  the  majority  who  have  arrived  here  still  retain  the 
first  charge  in  their  guns.  We  could  not  shoot  at  such 
great  distance  at  all.     So  every  one  ran  away." 

Following  the  advance  guard,  at  eight  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  came  the  main  body  consisting 
of  about  six  thousand  men.  Later  in  the  even- 
ing the  men  were  all  sent  away,  mostly  by 
extra  trains,  to  be  quartered  in  the  neighbour- 
ing cities  of  Durlach  and  Ettlingen  and  the 
outlying  villages. 

The  rear  guard,  under  Von  Willich,  entered 
the  city  at  twelve  o'clock  the  next  day.  In 
advance  marched  a  volunteer  carpenter.  Fol- 
lowing him  were  two  sharpshooters  dressed 
alike ;  then  came  Von  Willich  riding  a  white 
horse,  wearing  a  blue  blouse  and  volunteer  hat, 
his  big  red  beard  a  la  Hecker,  with  two  pistols 
in   his   belt    and    a   riding-whip    in   his  hand. 


124    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Brentano  and  Meyerhofer  accompanied  him. 
Behind  these  came  the  general  staff  on  horse- 
back ;  then  followed  alternately  sharpshooters 
and  light  infantry  soldiers,  bearing  large  Ger- 
man and  red  flags.  The  legion  from  Besan9on 
was  also  in  this  corps,  with  its  well-known  flag, 
and  on  the  right  wing  of  the  legion  marched 
a  big  strong  man,  Gottfried  Kinkel,  the  poet- 
professor  at  Bonn,  serving  as  a  common  vol- 
unteer. 

The  rear  was  brought  up  by  scythemen  and 
baggage  waggons.  The  whole  presented  a  most 
picturesque  aspect ;  in  the  corps  was  also  a 
young  woman  dressed  as  a  man,  who  attracted 
much  attention  with  her  grey  trousers,  blue 
coat  with  red  stripes,  a  velvet  spencer  over  the 
same,  and  a  small  black  hat  with  a  feather  on 
her  head,  black  gloves  on  her  hands,  two  pis- 
tols in  her  belt  and  carrying  a  short  sword. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

DECLINE  AND  DISPERSAL  OF  THE  NATIONAL 
ASSEMBLY  OF  GERMANY 

pROM  the  time  of  the  refusal  by  the  King 
■■■  of  Prussia  of  the  imperial  crown,  and  the 
decision  of  the  Prussian  government  on  April 
28th,  not  to  recognise  the  validity  of  the  new 
constitution,  and  when  it  became  apparent  that 
there  was  no  possibility  of  inducing  the  other 
large  powers  of  Germany  to  ratify  that  instru- 
ment, the  National  Assembly  began  to  decline, 
and  in  a  few  short  weeks  became  a  farce  and 
laughing  stock,  until  its  members  dispersed 
before  the  threats  of  armed  force  used  against 
them  by  its  whilom  friends  in  Wurtemberg. 

The  Austrian  Deputies  had  been  recalled  on 
April  5th,  and  a  large  majority  of  them  com- 
plied. On  May  14th  Prussia  recalled  her  rep- 
resentatives, many  of  whom  refused  to  obey  the 
summons,  claiming  membership  by  election  by 
the  people,  and  not  through  any  act  of  the  King. 
The  National  Assembly  itself  passed  a  resolu- 

125 


126    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

tion  by  a  vote  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-two 
to  two,  declaring  that  the  order  of  the  King 
was  not  binding  on  the  Prussian  Deputies. 

The  withdrawal  of  so  many  members  now 
gave  the  minority  party,  the  "  Left,"  the  ma- 
jority in  Parliament,  to  the  great  chagrin  of 
the  royalists  and  their  adherents. 

By  this  time  the  fight  for  the  new  constitu- 
tion in  Saxony  was  over.  Prussian  numbers 
and  discipline  had  won  and  firmly  re-established 
the  King  of  Saxony  on  his  throne. 

In  Wiirtemberg  the  people  were  still  enthusi- 
astically in  favour  of  the  constitution,  and  the 
government  was  at  least  not  openly  antagonis- 
tic, having  admitted  early  in  April  that  the 
instrument  was  binding.  In  Baden  and  the 
Palatinate,  the  party  of  the  imperial  constitu- 
tion had  taken  control  of  the  governments.  The 
National  Assembly  had  sent  as  its  commission- 
ers, Deputy  Eisenstiick  to  the  Palatinate,  and 
Raveaux  to  Baden,  even  before  the  revolution 
had  actually  broken  out  in  those  states,  and 
they  had  both  reported  that  the  movements 
there  were  in  favour  of  the  imperial  constitu- 
tion, and  not  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a 
republican  form  of  government. 

The  ablest  members  of  Parliament  had  gone 
voluntarily  to  both   the   revolted  states,    and 


Dispersal  of  the  Assembly        127 

by  advice  and  encouragement,  even  to  filling 
difficult  and  dangerous  positions,  did  much  for 
the  cause.  Among  those  who  were  risking 
life  and  liberty,  were  the  Prussians,  Raveaux 
of  Cologne,  and  Schloeffel  of  Hirschberg, 
Freiherr  von  Triitschler  of  Saxony,  Julius 
Froebel  of  the  principality  of  Rudolstadt- 
Schwarzenberg,  Zitz  of  Mayence,  who  had 
gone  with  an  armed  corps  to  the  Palatinate, 
and  Arnold  Ruge,  who  was  in  the  diplomatic 
service  of  Baden. 

All  recognised  the  fact,  that  under  existing 
conditions  in  Germany,  the  collapse  of  the 
Baden  and  Palatinate  movements  meant  the 
death  of  the  National  Assembly,  and  every 
one  did  his  best  to  prevent  the  declaration  of 
a  republic  in  either  state,  arguing  that  the 
movement  must  be  confined  to  a  fight  for 
the  new  constitution,  because  in  the  minds  of 
the  conservative  Germans,  particularly  in  the 
north,  the  word  republic  was  synonymous  with  ^^  , 
bloodshed  and  crime,  as  exemplified  in  the  first  '^ 
French  revolution. 

The  men  who  now  controlled  affairs  in  the  Na- 
tional Assembly  were  honest  and  learned,  and 
enthusiastic  for  what  they  considered  the  best 
interests  of  the  people.  They  were  students, 
dreamers,  theorists  not  versed  in  public  affairs. 


128    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

They  did  not  see  the  world  as  it  was,  but  as 
they  thought  it  ought  to  be.  They  were  no 
match  for  the  expert  politicians  of  Prussia  and 
the  three  or  four  other  large  German  states, 
who  watched  them  patiently  and  continuously, 
and  whenever  an  opportunity  came,  dextrously 
undermined  the  Assembly,  until  finally  the 
whole  structure  crumbled  away.  In  their  dif- 
ferent spheres  they  were  brilliant.  Ludwig 
Simon  of  Treves  was  a  persuasive  advocate  of 
the  rights  of  the  people.  Pre-eminent  by 
reason  of  his  youthful  eloquence,  was  young 
Giscra  of  Vienna.  Julius  Froebel  was  a  re- 
publican doctrinaire. 

An  important  personage  was  Professor  Karl 
Vogt  of  Giessen,  whose  biting  sarcasm  and 
brilliant  wit  easily  made  him  a  leader,  as  well 
as  a  man  most  popular  with  the  people.  His 
rotund  and  thoroughly  unrevolutionary  figure 
was  said  by  his  enemies  to  be  a  permanent  fix- 
ture on  the  speakers'  tribune. 

Rosier  of  Oels  spoke  often  and  much ; 
always  dressed  in  nankeen  from  his  heels  to 
the  crown  of  his  yellow  head,  he  was  called  the 
imperial  canary  bird.  Schloeffel  showed  in 
Berlin,  in  Schleswig,  in  Baden,  that  he  was  a 
man  of  determination. 

In  contrast  with  Schloeffel  was  Venedey  who 


Dispersal  of  the  Assembly        129 

spoke  much  of  lawful  grounds  and  lawful  op- 
position. Freiherr  von  Triitschler  of  Sax- 
ony was  fine  and  biting  and  uncompromising. 
It  was  he,  who  although  a  noble  by  birth,  dur- 
ing the  debate  on  the  law  relating  to  the 
Central  Power,  had  startled  the  Assembly  by 
proclaiming  in  his  soft  Saxon  accent,  that  to 
his  mind,  "every  man  comes  into  the  world  a 
sovereign." 

Zimmerman  possessed  sharp  dialectical  pow- 
ers. Brentano  appeared  but  seldom  in  St. 
Paul's  Church.  Ludwig  Uhland  had  weight, 
because  his  poetry  was  enshrined  in  the  hearts 
of  the  entire  German  people  ;  and  Lowe  of 
Calbe,  the  Prussian  lawyer,  with  the  cool  head 
and  bold  eloquence,  had  the  confidence  of 
all. 

The  breach  between  the  National  Assembly 
on  the  one  side,  and  the  few  strong  govern- 
ments with  the  Central  Power  and  Imperial 
Ministry  on  the  other,  was  daily  growing  wider, 
and  on  May  1 7th,  on  motion  of  Welcker,  by  a 
vote  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-one  to  twelve, 
forty-four  not  voting,  a  resolution  of  want  of 
confidence  in  the  Imperial  Ministry  was 
adopted,  because  of  its  refusal  to  take  steps  to 
carry  the  new  constitution  into  effect. 

On  May  i8th,  being  the  first  anniversary  of 


I30    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

the  opening  of  the  National  Assembly,  Gra- 
vell,  the  President  of  the  Imperial  Ministry, 
in  answer  to  an  interpellation  in  regard  to  the 
retirement  of  the  Vice-Regent  of  the  Empire, 
proclaimed  defiantly,  "  If  the  Vice-Regent  of 
the  Empire  retires,  he  will  deliver  his  office  to 
the  National  Assembly,  from  whom  he  re- 
ceived it,  but  his  power  to  the  princes  who 
gave  that  to  him."  Uhland  at  once  moved, 
that,  "Should  the  Vice-Regent  of  the  Empire, 
in  accordance  with  the  threat  of  the  Imperial 
Ministry,  attempt  to  return  his  power  into 
hands  other  than  those  of  the  National  Assem- 
bly, such  delivery  will  not  only  be  unlawful, 
but  not  binding." 

The  debate  on  the  motion  was  exciting. 
From  Lowe,  of  Calbe,  it  brought  out  a  pas- 
sionate speech : 

"  I  am  a  Prussian,  until  now  proud  of  the  name, 
but  I  would  be  ashamed  to  be  a  Prussian,  if  the  people 
agreed  with  that  which  its  damnable  ministry  is 
doing.  .  .  .  The  people  will  again  take  the  stand 
they  took  a  year  ago.  We  have  installed  the  Central 
Power.  It  is  not  fulfilling  its  duties  ...  it  must 
undertake  everything  which  appertains  to  carrying  out 
the  constitution.  .  .  .  We  have  created  it,  and 
have  the  right  to  dissolve  it  again.  .  .  .  Never 
forget  that  we  were  born  of  the  revolution.  The 
benches    on    which    you    sit    were    built    of   barricade 


Dispersal  of  the  Assembly        131 

boards.     .     .     .     Without  the  barricades  of  Vienna  and 
Berlin,  you  would  never  have  sat  here." 

The  membership  was  constantly  becoming 
smaller,  and  the  President  made  daily  an- 
nouncements of  the  withdrawal  of  from  two 
to  five  members,  until,  on  the  21st,  seventy- 
three  members,  including  the  majority  of  those 
from  Saxony,  left  the  Assembly  never  to  come 
back. 

A  motion  was  now  made  to  reduce  the 
number  necessary  to  constitute  a  quorum, 
from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  one  hundred 
members,  when  Ludwig  Simon  exclaimed  pa- 
thetically:  "The  end  of  the  National  As- 
sembly appears  to  be  here." 

On  the  vote  being  taken,  there  were  one 
hundred  yeas  and  thirty-nine  nays,  and  as  one 
hundred  and  fifty  constituted  a  quorum,  the 
resolution  was  not  carried.  The  leaders  saw 
the  great  danger  of  losing  the  contest,  so  an 
adjournment  to  four  o'clock  was  carried. 

On  reconvening,  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
nine  members  were  present,  and  another  great 
debate  took  place,  which  presents  a  luminous 
picture  of  one  of  the  last  days  of  the  Assembly. 
Fallati,  in  opposition  to  the  motion,  said : 
"  With  a  reduction  to  one  hundred,  a  repre- 


132    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

sentation  of  the  German  people  is  no  longer 
to  be  thought  of ;  even  with  one  hundred  and 
fifty  this  is  not  the  case.  Such  a  low  number 
will  heighten  the  unlawful  steps  in  South  Ger- 
many, and  scare  the  people  in  the  north  away 
entirely." 

Those  in  favour  of  the  reduction  argued 
earnestly  and  ably.  Eloquently  Ludwig  Simon 
of  Treves  pleaded  for  the  motion  : 

"  We  do  not  desire  to  rule  by  terror.  In  all  Ger- 
many, a  well-armed  minority  hold  down  the  majority. 
That  is  terrorism.  [A  voice  interrupting,  *  Not  in 
Baden. 'J  As  by  the  withdrawal  of  Austria,  Greater 
Germany  is  lost,  and  as  in  Lesser  Germany,  the  Depu- 
ties from  Prussia  and  Saxony  have  also  been  called 
away,  we  now  desire  to  save  the  rest  here  in  South  Ger- 
many. When  we  were  six  hundred,  two  hundred  con- 
stituted a  quorum.  Now,  that  we  are  only  from  one 
hundred  and  eighty  to  one  hundred  and  ninety,  there  is 
no  sense  in  having  the  quorum  still  one  hundred  and 
fifty.  .  .  .  Everywhere  force  is  victorious.  When 
you  go  out  of  the  Church,  first  erase  the  verse  above  the 
President's  chair  : 

"  *  Des  Vaterlands  Grosse,  des  Vaterlands  Gluck, 

O  schafft  sie,  O  bringt  sie,  defn  deutschen  Volk  zuriick^ 


and  put  in  its  place  : 


'  Da^  Opfer  Itegt, 

Die  Raben  steis:en  nieder.^  " 


Dispersal  of  the  Assembly        133 

Finally  a  vote  was  taken,  but  before  it  could 
be  finished  a  number  of  members  hastily  left, 
breaking  the  quorum,  the  vote  on  the  resolu- 
tion being  the  same  as  at  the  earlier  session, 
and  for  the  time  the  fight  was  lost.  The 
leaders  did  not  give  up  the  battle,  and  for 
days  and  nights  worked  to  bring  to  Frankfort 
the  members  necessary  to  reduce  the  quorum. 
On  the  24th,  success  finally  crowned  their 
efforts.  The  Deputies  had  come  from  all 
quarters,  the  well  and  the  sick,  from  far  and 
near,  Peter,  Minister  of  Justice,  and  Damm 
and  Junghans,  members  of  the  State  Com- 
mittee in  Baden,  were  there,  as  was  Freiherr 
von  Triitschler,  direct  from  his  new  field  of 
labour  in  the  same  place,  and  Giscra,  and 
Schoder,  and  Venedey,  who  was  very  ill,  and 
dragged  himself  painfully  into  the  Church. 

When  the  vote  was  taken  the  proposition 
was  carried  by  one  hundred  and  fifteen  to 
thirty-five,  the  President,  who  had  no  vote, 
making  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  members 
present,  which  was  now  again  reduced  by 
thirty-one,  that  number  giving  notice  of  with- 
drawal. 

Before  the  conclusion  of  the  meeting,  Schulz 
of  Weilberg  interpellated  tTie  Ministry,  asking 
whether  it  was  true  that  the  King  of  Prussia 


134  The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

had  demanded  of  the  Vice-Regent  the  dis- 
persal of  the  National  Assembly.  The  only 
reply  that  Gravell  vouchsafed  was  that  he 
would  give  an  answer  after  the  Feast  of  Pen- 
tecost. 

A  resolution  was  presented  on  May  26th  to 
remove  the  seat  of  the  National  Assembly  to 
Stuttgart,  the  capital  of  Wurtemberg,  it  being 
well  known  that  the  people  of  that  city  still 
looked  on  the  National  Assembly  with  sym- 
pathetic eyes  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
Frankfort  authorities  were  unfriendly,  and 
there  was  a  well-grounded  fear  that,  as  Prussia 
was  plotting  with  Hanover  and  Saxony  for 
the  formation  of  a  league  with  itself  at  the 
head,  as  against  the  confederation  contem- 
plated by  the  imperial  constitution,  a  sudden 
blow  might  be  struck  against  the  Assembly  at 
any  time  if  it  remained  in  the  latter  city. 

The  resolution  was  adopted  on  May  30th  by 
a  vote  of  seventy-one  to  sixty-four,  after  which 
President  Reh  announced  his  resignation  and 
bade  farewell  to  the  Assembly.  The  Deputies 
from  Hanover  were  recalled,  and,  with  those 
who  had  retired  in  the  last  few  days,  the 
National  Assembly  was  left  with  only  a  little 
over  a  hundred  members.  So  ended  its  sessions 
in  Frankfort. 


Dispersal  of  the  Assemijly        135 

More  than  fifty  years  have  passed  snice  that 
time,  but  old  St.  Paul's  Church  is  still  pointed 
out  to  visitors  as  one  of  the  show  places  of 
Frankfort,  and  the  building  where  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  people  met,  and  for  a  time 
were  greater  than  their  kings  or  princes. 

The  "  Rump "  Parliament,  as  the  Berlin 
Deutsche  Reform  and  other  Prussian  govern- 
ment organs,  now  designated  what  was  left  of 
the  National  Assembly,  met  at  Stuttgart  on 
June  6th,  in  the  hall  of  the  Second  Chamber, 
having  been  invited  by  that  body  to  hold  its 
sessions  there,  the  government  also  having 
given  its  consent.  There  was  still  a  warm 
feeling  among  the  Wiirtembergers  for  the 
National  Assembly,  and  among  the  one  hun- 
dred and  four  members  present  at  the  first 
meeting  was  Friedrich  Schmerling  Romer,  the 
President  of  the  Wiirtemberg  ministry. 

Lowe  of  Calbe  was  elected  President,  and 
then,  by  a  vote  of  ninety-three  to  ten,  Romer 
voting  in  the  negative,  it  was  decided  to  elect 
a  Regency  consisting  of  five  persons  an- 
swerable to  the  National  Assembly,  who  were 
to  execute  the  resolutions  and  perform  the 
duties  delegated  the  year  before  to  the  Pro- 
visional Central  Power.  Franz  Raveaux,  Karl 
Vogt,    Friedrich    Schuler     of     Zweibriicken, 


136    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Heinrich  Simon  of  Breslau,  and  August 
Becker  of  Stuttgart  were  immediately  elected 
Regents. 

President  Lowe  of  Calbe  thereupon  declared 
that  in  consequence  of  this  election  the  Central 
Power  was  dissolved.  Romer  attended  no 
more  sessions  of  the  National  Assembly,  and 
from  that  time,  either  through  fear  of  the  con- 
sequences of  further  encouraging  that  body  or 
as  the  result  of  direct  threats  made  by  the 
Prussian  government,  the  Wiirtemberg  au- 
thorities began  to  assume  a  hostile  attitude. 

The  members  of  the  new  Regency  were 
men  of  literary  attainments,  and  the  day  after 
their  election  gave  out  an  address,  "  To  the 
German  People,"  the  first  of  a  series  issued, 
all  of  which  had  in  them  a  certain  comic 
pathos,  being  statesman-like  and  sonorous,  but 
no  government  paying  the  least  attention  to 
them.  The  present  document  asserted  that 
all  the  duties  of  the  former  Central  Power  had 
been  given  to  the  Regency ;  that  the  law  now 
gave  them  the  leadership  of  the  entire  armed 
might  of  Germany,  and  left  the  appointment 
of  the  chief  commanders  to  them,  and  that 
after  that  day  every  one  who  obeyed  the  com- 
mands of  the  former  Central  Power  would  be 
considered  guilty  of  treason. 


Dispersal  of  the  Assembly        137 

The  Wurtemberg  government  at  once  took 
issue  with  the  Assembly,  and  bluntly  stated 
that  it  would  not  recognise  as  binding  any 
resolution  enacted  by  the  Regency. 

On  June  8th,  the  National  Assembly  adopted 
a  resolution  declaring  "Baden  and  the  Pa- 
latinate under  the  protection  and  care  of  the 
Empire,  the  movements  in  those  states  being 
for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  the  imperial 
constitution."  At  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon Romer  struck  the  first  blow  in  his  fight 
against  the  body  by  causing  word  to  be  sent 
that  the  hall  where  the  meetings  were  being 
held  would  no  longer  be  open  to  it  for  future 
sittings,  and  after  that  day  the  sessions  of  the 
National  Assembly  were  held  in  the  hall  of 
Kolb's  tavern,  on  the  Militar  Strasse. 

The  Central  Power  at  Frankfort,  like  the 
government  of  Wurtemberg,  ignored  the  acts 
of  the  National  Assembly,  and  conducted  itself  j 

as  if  still  backed  by  the  body  which  elected 
it. 

On  June  loth,  Archduke  John  summoned 
the  people  of  Baden  to  return  to  their  fealty 
to  their  "  gracious  Prince "  and  warned  them 
of  the  armies  already  collected  on  their  fron- 
tiers. 

The  Wurtemberg  government  became  more 


/ 


13S    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

and  more  nervous  about  the  continued  pres- 
ence in  that  country  of  the  National  Assembly. 
The  huge  Prussian  armies,  and  the  so-called 
Imperial  Army,  all  antagonistic  to  the  Na- 
tional Assembly  and  the  imperial  constitution, 
were  drawing  nearer  and  nearer  to  Baden  and 
consequently  to  Wiirtemberg.  If  they  once 
obtained  the  impression  that  Wiirtemberg  was 
friendly  to  the  National  Assembly,  the  body 
which  brought  forth  the  imperial  constitution, 
the  consequences  might  be  dire  for  that  coun- 
try. On  June  13th,  the  Wiirtemberg  ministry 
therefore  gave  formal  notice  that  it  declined 
to  recognise  the  Regency,  and  ordered  it  to 
remove  its  seat  from  the  country. 

The  Regency  refused  to  leave  Stuttgart 
and  went  on  governing,  at  least  they  adopted 
resolutions  and  gave  out  orders  and  made  pro- 
clamations. They  ordered  the  Imperial  Gen- 
eral, Von  Prittwitz,  to  proceed  at  once  against 
the  Danes  in  Jutland.  Von  Peucker  was  di- 
rected not  to  operate  against  Baden,  and 
General  von  Miller  was  removed  from  his 
command. 

They  wrote  to  Baden,  the  Palatinate,  and 
Wiirtemberg,  requesting  them  to  furnish  an 
imperial  army  of  four  thousand  men  infantry, 
and  six  squadrons  of  cavalry,  who  before  their 


Dispersal  of  the  Assembly        139 

march  to  Landau  and  Rastatt  were  to  be 
sworn  to  the  constitution.  No  notice  was 
taken  of  any  of  these  orders,  not  even  by 
Baden  or  the  Palatinate. 

The  two  hundred  and  thirty-fifth  and  last 
session  of  the  National  Assembly  was  held  on 
Saturday,  June  i6th,  in  Fritz's  Riding  School, 
which  had  been  in  process  of  transformation 
for  the  purpose  ever  since  the  further  use  of 
the  Wiirtemberg  Assembly  Chamber  had  been 
forbidden. 

The  hall  was  tastefully  decorated,  the  ladies 
of  Stuttgart  having  prepared  pretty  wreaths 
with  which  the  walls  were  hung.  Behind  the 
President's  chair  a  partition  draped  in  red  had 
been  erected,  which  bore  on  the  right  and  left 
the  respective  inscriptions,  "The  German  wo- 
men," "  To  the  German  men  "  ;  black,  red,  and 
gold  flags  hung  alongside.  The  place  reserved 
for  the  public  was  hung  with  pine  boughs  and 
was  filled  with  perhaps  eight  hundred  listeners. 

The  draft  of  the  bill  prepared  by  the  Re- 
gency for  the  formation  of  the  national  guard 
was  passed  and  became  an  imperial  law.  The 
formal  resolution  for  the  removal  of  the  Vice- 
Regent  of  the  Empire  was  also  adopted  amid 
loud  rejoicing. 

The    next    day    the    Wiirtemberg    ministry 


HO    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

gave  out  a  proclamation,  in  which  it  declined 
to  recognise  the  law  regarding  the  formation 
of  a  national  guard,  and  forbade  the  Wiirtem- 
berg  communities  from  obeying  its  provisions. 

On  Monday,  June  i8th,  the  meeting  place 
was  closed,  and  the  streets  surrounding  it 
occupied  by  Wiirtemberg  troops.  President 
Lowe  of  Calbe,  at  the  head  of  the  National 
Assembly,  attempted  to  pass  the  soldiers,  who 
advanced  threateningly,  when  he  was  pulled 
back  by  Schott  and  Uhland. 

Lowe  of  Calbe  had  been  notified  at  9.30 
o'clock  the  evening  before  by  Romer  that  no 
further  sessions  would  be  tolerated,  and  de- 
manding that  the  Regency  and  National  As- 
sembly leave  Wurtemberg,  threatening  to  use 
force  if  the  order  was  disobeyed. 

Lowe  of  Calbe's  comment  to  the  members 
was,  that  staying  longer  would  be  comedy, 
that  Baden  was  now  the  only  country  where 
meetings  could  be  held.  After  an  attempt 
had  been  made  to  hold  a  session  in  the 
Hotel  Marquart,  the  President  sent  a  letter  to 
the  Regency,  notifying  them  that  the  next 
meeting  of  the  National  Assembly  would  be 
held  at  Carlsruhe,  if  possible,  on  June  25th. 

On  that  day  the  Prussian  army  entered 
Carlsruhe,  so  the  session  was  never  held. 


CHAPTER   IX 

MILITARY  AFFAIRS  — FIGHT  ON  THE  BERG 

STRASSE 

SINCE  the  day  after  the  Offenburg  meet- 
ing, the  State  Committee  had  been  col- 
lecting troops  in  the  vicinity  of  Mannheim  and 
Heidelberg. 

Eichfeld,  besides  being  Minister  of  War, 
was  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  army,  and  by 
the  second  week  of  the  revolution,  had  al- 
ready several  thousand  men  assembled  in  the 
northern  end  of  Baden.  At  Mannheim,  steam- 
boats were  taken  possession  of,  and  the  river 
Rhine  patrolled,  and  batteries  placed,  facing 
Ludwigshafen  across  the  stream  on  the  Palat- 
inate side.  Guards  were  stationed  on  the 
bridge  crossing  the  Rhine  at  this  point,  and 
guards  and  artillery  on  the  one  spanning  the 
river  Neckar.  The  railway  station  was  also 
well  guarded.  In  Heidelberg  the  same  pre- 
cautions were  taken.  Various  detachments  of 
troops  were  sent  to  take  up  positions  in  the 

141 


142    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Odenwald  toward  the  Hessian  frontier.  So 
careless,  however,  was  the  administration  of 
the  department,  that  the  Minister  of  War  had 
not  thought  of  having  his  troops  supplied 
with  ammunition,  and  this  had  to  be  sent 
after  them  from  Mannheim  and  Heidelberg. 

On  May  24th,  a  massacre  of  some  forty 
peasants  took  place  in  the  Hessian  village  of 
Laudenbach  on  the  Baden  frontier,  an  hour's 
distance  from  Heppenheim,  which  created 
great  excitement  among  the  Baden  troops. 
A  public  meeting  attended  by  between  six 
and  eight  thousand  persons,  many  of  whom 
were  armed,  was  in  progress,  which  was  to  be 
to  Hesse  what  the  Offenburg  meeting  had 
been  to  Baden.  The  assembly  had  been  en- 
couraged by  the  Baden  authorities,  and  a 
goodly  number  of  Baden  infantrymen  were 
present  as  spectators,  the  plan  being  to  have 
the  meeting  pass  resolutions  similar  to  those 
adopted  at  Offenburg,  send  them  to  the  Hes- 
sian government  at  Darmstadt,  and  finally 
revolutionise  that  country  as  had  been  done 
in  Baden.  The  Hessian  government,  how- 
ever, was  less  timid  than  that  of  Baden,  and 
its  soldiery  less  revolutionary,  and  the  meeting 
ended  in  bloodshed,  and  murder,  and  failure. 

The  Hessian  military  were  posted  on  a  near- 


Military  Affairs  143 

by  height  observing  the  gathering.  Govern- 
ment Commissioner  Prinz,  accompanied  by  a 
number  of  gendarmes,  appeared  at  the  meet- 
ing and  protested,  that  many  armed  men  were 
present,  and  commanded  them  to  disperse. 
Prinz  was  most  cordially  hated  by  the  people 
of  that  part  of  the  country,  owing  to  his  ex- 
treme subserviency  to  the  orders  of  his  gov- 
ernment, and  his  statements  were  several 
times  contradicted,  upon  which  he  commenced 
an  abusive  tirade,  calling  the  people  "  peas- 
ants "  {Bauern)  and  other  opprobrious  terms. 
Many  at  the  assembly  were  excited  with  wine 
and  beer,  and  a  tumult  arose,  during  which 
Prinz  was  shot.  The  sound  of  the  shot 
brought  the  commander  of  the  Hessian  troops 
hurriedly  on  the  scene.  When  he  sprang  from 
his  horse,  the  animal  shied,  and  went  back 
from  whence  it  had  come. 

The  troops,  seeing  the  riderless  horse  re- 
turn, and  thinking  their  leader  had  been  shot, 
were  ordered  to  open  fire,  and  at  once  com- 
menced shooting  into  the  meeting,  advancing 
rapidly  as  they  fired,  and  in  a  short  time  had 
killed  more  than  forty  persons,  and  taken  one 
hundred  and  seven  prisoners,  themselves  los- 
ing only  three  men  dangerously  wounded,  and 
a  few  slightly  injured. 


144    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

At  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  news  of  the  dis- 
astrous termination  of  the  affair  was  received 
at  the  Baden  headquarters  in  Heidelberg. 
Eichfeld,  at  the  suggestion  of  Werner  of  the 
State  Committee,  at  once  sent  written  orders 
to  all  the  military  commandants  to  cross  the 
Hessian  frontier. 

Colonel  Blenker,  who  was  at  Ludwigshafen, 
and  by  the  alliance  entered  into  between 
Baden  and  the  Palatinate  stood  under  the 
command  of  Eichfeld,  was  to  march  to 
Worms  with  his  corps  of  about  five  hundred 
men,  three  hundred  of  whom  were  regulars 
and  two  hundred  volunteers,  and  Colonel 
Pfeiffer,  the  military  commander  of  Mann- 
heim, was  to  send  to  his  support  three  com- 
panies of  line  soldiers,  a  squadron  of  cavalry, 
and  four  cannon.  Former  Imperial  Deputy 
Zitz  of  Mayence  was  ordered  to  at  once  take 
up  the  march  from  Kirchheimbolanden  in  the 
Palatinate,  where  he  was  quartered,  and  go  in 
the  same  direction  with  his  corps,  now  num- 
bering about  twelve  hundred  men,  and  form  a 
junction  with  Blenker,  and  if  necessary,  in 
order  to  reach  Worms  rapidly,  to  requisition 
waggons  for  the  purpose.  To  the  volunteer 
commandants  was  left  the  duty  of  advancing 
through  the  Odenwald. 


Military  Affairs  145 

These  dispositions  were  all  made  in  pursu- 
ance of  a  plan  of  campaign  mapped  out  by 
Raveaux,  who  considered  himself  quite  a 
military  strategist,  and  had  obtained  the  re- 
luctant promise  of  Eichfeld,  before  the  Lau- 
denbach  meeting,  to  carry  it  into  effect,  the 
massacre  at  that  place  only  hurrying  the 
movement  on,  as  it  was  certain  that  the  people 
of  Hesse  could  not  rise  successfully  without 
the  co-operation  of  an  armed  force  from 
without. 

The  immediate  purpose  was  to  attack 
Darmstadt  and  Frankfort,  and  at  the  same 
time  strengthen  the  "  army  of  freedom," 
with  the  democrats  of  Hanau,  Hoschst,  Bo- 
chenheim,  Offenbach,  Bornheim,  and  the 
whole  of  Franconia  and  Nassau.  The  army 
of  the  allied  enemy,  calling  itself  the  Imperial 
Army,  was  said  to  consist  of  only  nine  bat- 
talions, of  which  those  from  Wiirtemberg 
were  thought  to  be  unreliable,  it  being  the 
general  opinion  at  the  time  in  Germany  that 
both  Wiirtemberg  and  Bavaria  would  finally 
side  with  the  revolution.  The  Hessian  sol- 
diers were  also  expected  to  come  over  en 
masse  as  soon  as  they  discovered  that  they 
were  surrounded  on  all  sides,  and  also  because 
they  had  served  with  the  Baden  soldiers  in  the 


146    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

same  corps  in  the  Imperial  Army  under  the 
Diet.  From  this  beginning  it  was  expected 
to  carry  the  war  into  the  whole  of  Germany, 
or,  at  least,  to  get  all  Germany  to  make  com- 
mon cause  with  Baden  and  the  Palatinate  in 
favour  of  the  imperial  constitution. 

This  was  the  situation  at  midnight.  Dur- 
ing the  night  a  complete  change  was  brought 
about.  Some  of  the  old  officers,  who  still 
held  commands  in  the  army,  hesitated  about 
crossing  the  frontier,  and  went  to  Eichfeld, 
and  told  him  a  defensive  campaign  was  the 
only  one  to  conduct ;  that  the  expected  Prus- 
sian troops  would  never  come  to  fight  them  ; 
that  it  was  madness  to  carry  the  war  into 
Hesse,  and  easily  convinced  the  weak  Com- 
mander-in-Chief of  his  error,  and  induced  him 
to  recall  his  orders. 

Raveaux,  who,  with  Werner,  was  directing 
this  aggressive  campaign  from  the  back- 
ground, and  urging  all  haste  in  its  execution, 
before  the  foreign  armies  could  be  united,  was 
furious  when  told  of  Eichfeld's  change  of 
policy,  and  so  disgusted,  that  he  at  once 
ordered  a  special  locomotive,  hurried  to  Carls- 
ruhe,  and  reported  the  condition  of  affairs  to 
the  State  Committee. 

The  report  of  the  Imperial  Deputy  aroused 


Military  Affairs  i47 

great  indignation  in  that  body,  and  Eichfeld 
was  forthwith  removed  from  his  post  as  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, and  does  not  again  appear  in 
the  history  of  the  revolution,  except  that 
perhaps  a  week  later,  after  the  fight  on  the 
Berg  Strasse,  in  which  he  played  the  part  of  a 
craven,  he  deserted  from  the  army  and  went 
to  France.  ^^  . 

Blenker  was  the  only  one  of  the  officers  of 
the  invading  forces  who  carried  out  the  in- 
structions as  originally  given.  He  took  pos- 
session of  Worms,  but,  on  the  29th,  was 
compelled  to  evacuate  the  place  again,  not 
having  received  the  promised  support,  and 
Colonel  von  Weitershausen,  with  a  force  of 
Hessians,  attacking  the  city  in  overwhelming 
numbers  and  with  artillery. 

Franz  SIgel  now  assumed  the  duties  of 
commander-in-chief,  with  Raveaux  aiding  him 
in  a  political  capacity,  and  Werner  as  civil 
commissioner. 

The  new  Commander-in-Chief  was  a  young 
man  little  more  than  twenty-four  years  of 
age,  who,  owing  to  his  fresh  complexion  and 
beardless  face,  had  the  appearance  of  being 
even  younger.  He  was  above  medium  height, 
strongly  built,  with  a  round  face  and  stub 
nose,  his  brown  hair  cut  short,  and  wore,  as 


148    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

was  customary  in  the   Baden  army,  wide,  stiff 
trousers  trimmed  with  leather. 

He  was  a  man  of  great  personal  courage, 
a  decided  republican,  and  had  been  a  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Baden  army.  He  was  the  first 
officer  to  go  over  to  Hecker  in  the  spring 
of  1848,  and  had  raised  a  corps,  which  he  led 
in  that  uprising,  after  which  time  he  had  been 
in  Switzerland  on  the  frontier  of  Baden,  until 
called  to  Carlsruhe  at  the  outbreak  of  the  revo- 
lution, where  he  had  been  Deputy  Minister  of 
War  during  Eichfeld's  absence  with  the  army. 

Sigel  and  Raveaux,  in  company  with  Bren- 
tano.  Imperial  Deputy  Julius  Froebel  and 
Freiherr  von  Triitschler,  just  made  chief  civil 
commissioner  of  the  district,  which  included 
Mannheim,  arrived  in  that  city  on  May 
26th,  and  found  a  feeling  of  distrust  and  sus- 
picion among  the  soldiers.  Poems  laudatory 
of  the  Grand  Duke  had  been  secretly  dis- 
tributed among  them,  as  well  as  the  proclama- 
tion which  he  had  given  out  from  Berg. 
Eichfeld,  too,  had  poisoned  the  minds  of  some 
of  the  officers  of  the  old  regime,  who  had  re- 
mained with  their  regiments,  against  Sigel, 
and  they  demurred  to  serving  under  so  young 
a  commander.  Some  were  allowed  to  resign, 
others  successfully  urged  to  remain. 


Military  Affairs  149 

For  Whitsunday  (May  27th)  Brentano  or- 
dered a  great  parade  between  Mannheim 
and  Kaferthal,  a  village  just  north  of  that 
city,  at  which  all  the  troops,  infantry,  cav- 
alry, artillery,  burgher-guard  and  national 
guard  stationed  in  the  neighbourhood,  took 
part.  Brentano  made  a  speech  and  intro- 
duced Sigel  to  the  assembled  troops  and 
closed  with  a  ''hoch"  to  the  imperial  constitu- 
tion and  the  revolution.  He  was  received  with 
the  greatest  enthusiasm,  and  the  sentiments 
uttered  were  loudly  applauded  by  the  army. 

Raveaux  also  made  an  address,  during 
which  Sigel  rode  in  front  of  the  soldiers,  and 
using  a  favourable  opportunity,  talked  to  them. 
He  told  them,  that  usually  only  age  was 
entitled  to  military  charges  ;  and  he  knew 
very  well  how  their  advance  judgment  might 
injure  him.  If,  however,  courage,  energy,  and 
an  enthusiastic  heart  for  the  cause  of  freedom 
could  take  the  place  of  age,  he  felt  himself 
capable  of  leading.  He  closed  the  address 
with  the  question,  "  Are  you  ready  to  obey 
your  leader?  if  so,  answer  with  a  loud  'yes.'" 

An  affirmative  answer  was  given  by  all 
with  vigorous  yells,  and  by  the  pleased  faces 
of  the  soldiers  and  younger  officers,  the  change 
in  the  sentunents  of  the  men  was  apparent. 


150    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

It  was  determined  to  attempt  another  in- 
vasion of  Hesse,  and  as  a  prehminary  step, 
Sigel  and  Raveaux  issued  a  manifesto,  ad- 
dressed, "To  the  German  People,"  but  aimed 
particularly  at  the  Hessian  government,  in 
which  it  was  alleged  that  the  uprising  of  the 
people  of  Baden  and  the  Palatinate  for  the 
imperial  constitution,  owing  to  its  character, 
could  not  be  confined  to  the  narrow  bounda- 
ries of  those  states,  but  must  be  extended 
over  the  whole  of  Germany.  They  com- 
plained that  the  Hessian  government  had 
broken  railroad  and  post  connection,  whereby 
the  industrial  classes  were  suffering  irrepara- 
ble loss.  They  charged  it  with  having  asked 
of  the  Chambers  a  credit  of  two  million  gul- 
den, to  be  employed  in  raising  an  army  to 
be  used  against  Baden  and  the  Palatinate, 
which,  however,  had  been  refused.  It  was 
also  accused  of  having  interfered  in  the 
right  given  to  the  people  to  assemble,  that 
thereby  Hessian  citizens  of  the  Odenwald 
had  been  shot  down  in  cold  blood.  They 
claimed  to  have  no  intention  of  making  war 
on  Hesse,  their  only  object  being  to  in- 
fluence the  government  of  that  country  to 
decline  to  allow  unfriendly  troops  to  cross 
over    its    territory,   and    to    direct    its    own 


Military  Affairs  151 

troops  to  be  sworn  to  the  constitution.  They 
denied  that  the  purpose  of  the  movement 
was  to  estabHsh  a  red  repubHc,  as  had  been 
repeatedly  asserted. 

They  concluded  with  the  solemn  declaration  : 

"The  question  now  is  not  republic  or  con- 
stitutionalism, but  freedom  or  slavery,  Russian 
or  German." 

The  campaign  contemplated  the  division  of 
the  army  into  two  columns,  the  one  to  advance 
along  the  Berg  Strasse,  the  highway  leading 
from  Weinheim  to  Heppenheim,  and  make  a 
feint  at  fiorhtingr  on  the  frontier,  near  Hems- 
bach,  while  the  other  and  main  column  was  to 
go  into  the  Odenwald  and  advance  by  way  of 
Furth  to  Darmstadt. 

Sigfel  marched  out  of  Mannheim  to  Wein- 
heim,  on  May  29th,  at  the  head  of  the  assem- 
bled troops,  consisting  of  the  Bodyguard 
Regiment,  several  companies  of  the  3rd  and 
4th  Regiments,  national  guards  from  Baden- 
Baden,  Offenburg  and  Lahr,  a  few  squadrons 
of  dragoons  and  three  batteries  of  artillery — in 
all  about  four  thousand  men. 

The  regular  soldiers  were  in  uniform  and  well 
equipped,  but  the  others  presented  a  curious 
spectacle  as  they  moved  forward,  indifferently 
armed   and    in    all    sorts  of    dress.     Peasants 


152    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

from  the  country,  mechanics,  store  clerks, 
and  all  manner  of  workmen  from  the  cities 
and  towns,  dressed  in  the  clothes  they  had 
worn  in  their  ordinary  vocations,  even  the  of- 
ficers appearing  in  front  of  their  commands  in 
blouses  and  civil  coats,  all  wearing,  or  attempt- 
ing to  raise,  full  beards,  the  sign  of  democracy 
in  the  army,  in  marked  contrast  with  the 
smooth-shaven  faces  and  moustaches  of  the 
soldiers  and  officers  under  the  old  regime. 
The  only  insignia  which  they  wore  were  red 
cockades.  ..   - 

It  was  after  midnight  when  the  news  of  the 
movement  became  known  to  the  Hessians  sta- 
tioned at  Heppenheim,  where  they  had  two 
regiments  of  infantry  and  six  pieces  of  artil- 
lery. They  were  at  once  called  to  arms,  and 
by  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  a  strong  body 
of  them  was  moving  south  towards  the  frontier 
of  Baden,  the  advance  posts  being  pushed  for- 
ward in  the  Erbach  and  Kirschauser  Valleys, 
and  into  the  level  toward  Hessian  Laudenbach. 

Before  noon  news  was  received  that  the 
larger  part  of  the  Baden  army  had  left  Wein- 
heim  and  entered  the  Werschnitz  Valley,  and 
was  marching  toward  Rimbach  and  Furth. 
The  Hessian  commander  strengthened  the 
troops  in  the  Kirschauser  and  Erbach  Valleys, 


Military  Affairs  i53 

and  directed  them  to  observe  the  enemy,  but 
not  to  undertake  a  fight,  as  they  might  become 
detached  from  the  main  corps  at  Heppenheim. 
At  about  three  o'clock  a  column  of  Baden  in- 
fantry, consisting  of  two  battalions  of  the  Body, 
guard  Regiment,  and  volunteers,  in  all  twelve 
hundred  men,  under  the  immediate  command 
of  Sigel,  approached  along  the  Berg  Strasse  to- 
ward the  advance  posts  of  the  Hessians. 

A  small  force  of  Hessian  cavalry  now  ad- 
vanced some  distance  ahead  of  their  main 
body,  and  Sigel  attacked  them  with  a  detach- 
ment of  dragoons,  forcing  them  back  on  their 
chief  corps,  and  taking  two  prisoners. 

The  entire  Baden  infantry  saw  this  move- 
ment, and  pushed  forward  a  short  distance  to 
the  line  where  Baden  and  Hesse  adjoin,  and, 
with  loud  hurrahs,  crossed  the  frontier,  now 
marching  slowly,  their  band  playing,  and  the 
men  carrying  green  twigs  of  trees,  and  wav- 
ing white  handkerchiefs,  cloths,  and  small  tri- 
coloured  flags.  Several  times  they  attempted  to 
speak  to  the  Hessians,  shouting  "  Long  live  the 
Hessians,"  inviting  them  to  unite  in  carrying 
out  the  imperial  constitution,  and  asking  them 
to  recognise  the  government  of  Baden.  All 
this  was  done  in  pursuance  of  a  well-considered 
plan  of  the  leaders,  who  had  been  promised  by 


154   The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

many  Hessian  private  soldiers  that  they  would 
come  over  to  the  side  of  the  revolution  in  a 
body. 

Up  to  this  time  neither  side  had  fired  a 
shot,  but  as  the  Hessians  did  not  seem  in- 
clined to  fraternise  with  the  Badeners,  Sigel 
concluded  to  advance  without  delay  toward 
Heppenheim. 

For  this  purpose,  he  planted  two  cannon  on 
the  embankment  of  the  railway,  which  here 
runs  parallel  with  the  Berg  Strasse,  support- 
ing them  with  a  squadron  of  cavalry,  while 
the  infantry  pressed  forward  on  the  highway. 

The  Hessians  had  also  placed  two  cannon 
in  position  on  the  Berg  Strasse,  sustained  by 
a  company  of  infantry,  and  these  Sigel  now 
determined  to  take  with  a  detachment  of 
cavalry. 

At  four  o'clock,  the  cavalry  advanced.  When 
only  twenty  steps  distant,  it  was  greeted  by  two 
rounds  of  canister  from  the  enemy's  cannon, 
and  by  several  volleys  from  the  small  arms  of 
the  supporting  infantry,  which  threw  the  attack- 
ing party  into  confusion.  It  fell  back  on  its 
own  reserve  infantry,  which  also  became  panic- 
stricken,  and  the  whole  body  retired  in  disor- 
der, the  artillery  on  the  railway  embankment 
being   borne    along,  the   boyish-looking  com- 


Military  Affairs  i55 

mander  being  the  last  to  retreat,  using  hercul- 
ean efforts  to  stay  the  flight,  but  in  vain. 

The  Hessians,  no  longer  hesitating,  ad- 
vanced in  double-quick  order,  and  drove  the 
Badeners  through  the  Baden  village  of  Lau- 
denbach.  Between  this  place  and  Hemsbach, 
the  Badeners  took  up  a  position  in  an  orchard 
and  made  an  obstinate  resistance,  so  that  a 
Hessian  battalion  which  had  already  nearly 
forced  its  way  into  the  village  was  compelled 
to  retire.  More  battalions  and  more  artillery 
coming  up,  the  Badeners  were  finally  dis- 
lodged, and  pursued  to  Hemsbach,  where 
Sig-el  received  a  bullet  through  his  helmet  and 
was  slightly  wounded  in  the  head.  The  Hes- 
sians then  retired  to  Heppenheim. 

The  commanders  of  the  main  body  of  the 
Baden  army,  Eichfeld  and  Von  Beck,  instead 
of  obeying  their  orders  to  march  to  Darm- 
stadt, had  returned  to  Weinheim,  and  were 
there  when  the  fleeing  soldiers  from  the  Berg 
Strasse  arrived,  reported  the  rout,  and  con- 
tinued their  flight  to  Mannheim  and  Heidel- 
berg, where  detachments  arrived  one  after 
another  in  the  utmost  confusion.  Sigel  or- 
dered Eichfeld  and  Von  Beck  also  to  march 
back  across  the  Neckar  in  order  to  reorganise 
his  now  thoroughly  disheartened  army. 


156    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

The  loss  was  about  equal  on  both  sides, 
some  twenty  to  thirty  killed,  and  forty  wounded. 

The  same  nigrht  Raveaux  went  from  Mann- 
heim  to  Heidelberg,  where  he  found  the  tired 
troops  and  national  guards  who  had  taken 
part  in  the  fight  sleeping  in  the  streets  or 
quartered  in  the  houses  of  the  citizens ;  and,  at 
the  Hotel  to  the  Badischer  Hof,  found  Sigel  in 
bed,  so  overcome  by  the  disasters  of  the  day 
that  he  could  hardly  sit  up. 

Among  the  troops,  the  events  of  the  day 
had  a  most  depressing  effect,  and  many  officers 
declared  that  they  would  refuse  to  recognise 
any  further  orders  of  the  commander.  For  the 
purpose  of  meeting  this  dangerous  state  of  af- 
fairs Raveaux  now  hurried  to  Carlsruhe,  where 
he  arrived  the  next  morning,  and  at  once  re- 
quested the  State  Committee  to  send  those  of 
its  members  who  were  most  popular  with  the 
army  to  Heidelberg,  to  head  off  the  counter  re- 
volution brewing  there. 

Brentano  was  at  once  designated  as  such  a 
person.  The  same  morning  he  and  Raveaux 
went  to  Heidelberg.  It  was  high  time.  The 
soldiers  and  national  guards  had  in  the  mean- 
time been  incited  by  the  officers  and  officials 
against  Sigel,  and  this  dissatisfaction  and  dis- 
sension was  further  increased  as  hundreds  of 


Military  Affairs  157 

stragglers  had  been  allowed  to  lie  on  the 
ground  in  the  hot  sun,  in  front  of  the  muni- 
cipal buildings  and  in  the  public  places,  with- 
out food  or  quarters,  no  one  paying  the  least 
attention  to  the  tired,  hungry,  and  thirsty 
troops. 

Brentano's  energy  was  boundless,  and  he 
soon  brought  order  out  of  chaos,  here  with  a 
conciliatory  word,  there  with  a  threat.  He 
attended  to  getting  the  soldiers  food  and 
drink,  forcing  the  Municipal  Council  to  assem- 
ble at  once,  and  make  provision  for  the  pur- 
pose ;•  and  his  determined  stand  so  far  satisfied 
officers  and  privates,  that  in  the  afternoon  they 
declared  to  him  that  the  army  would  be  con- 
tent if  Struve  were  removed  from  the  State 
Committee,  the  exasperation  against  him  being 
universal  in  the  army,  Sigel's  command  taken 
away  from  him,  he  being  blamed  with  the  dis- 
astrous result  of  the  campaign,  and  the  Grand 
Duke  recalled. 

Brentano  refused  absolutely  to  accede  to 
any  of  the  requests,  but  succeeded  in  quieting 
the  officers,  and  returned  with  Sigel  to  Carls- 
ruhe. 

The  next  day  Sigel  appeared  in  the  State 
Committee,  pale  and  dejected,  still  wearing 
the  bullet-pierced  shako,  told  the  story  of  his 


158    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

first  battle,  and  formally  resigned  as  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, being  at  once  appointed  Min- 
ister of  War,  Captain  von  Beck  being  named 
for  the  place  just  vacated,  with  the  rank  of 
Colonel. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT  — ARREST 
OF  FICKLER  IN  STUTTGART  —  CONTEST 
BETWEEN  THE  RADICALS  AND  CON- 
SERVATIVES IN  CARLSRUHE,  ON  JUNE 
6TH 

THE  State  Committee,  on  May  29th,  adopted 
a  resolution  declaring,  that  as  the  Baden 
movement  did  not  apply  specifically  to  that 
country,  but  to  Germany  in  general,  therefore 
all  German  states  which  favoured  the  cause, 
and  particularly  the  Palatinate,  were  invited 
to  send  representatives  to  the  coming  Con- 
stituent Assembly. 

Outside  of  the  stir  and  bustle  incident  to  the 
approaching  war,  life  in  Carlsruhe  was  the  sam^ 
as  prior  to  May  13th.  The  Court  Theatre 
was  open  as  usual,  the  attendance  being  larger 
than  ordinarily,  owing  to  the  number  of  stran- 
gers in  the  city,  and  the  house  only  closed  its 
doors  on  May  30th,  at  the  regular  time  for 
ending  the  season. 

The  official  newspaper  organ  of  the  State 

159 


i6o    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Committee,  the  Carlsruhe  Zeitung,  devoted 
much  space  to  news  of  the  revohition,  and  not 
an  issue  appeared  but  contained  the  proclama- 
tions and  decrees  of  that  body,  announcements 
of  the  formation  of  legions,  and  articles  in- 
tended to  strengthen  the  cause.  At  this  time 
it  began  agitating  the  question  of  a  foreign 
alliance,  and  in  an  editorial,  asked  the  Repub- 
lic of  France  for  assistance,  and  in  great  head 
lines  called  the  "  French  brethren  to  the 
Rhine,  to  the  Rhine."  While  the  article  was 
received  with  applause  in  Baden,  it  had  a 
prejudicial  effect  in  other  German  states. 

Again,  this  journal  presented  leading  articles 
devoted  to  the  finances  of  the  state.  The 
obligations  of  the  state  had  continued  to  re- 
main comparatively  steady,  and  in  contrast 
with  those  of  other  and  more  powerful  coun- 
tries were  considerably  higher,  and  on  insti- 
tuting a  comparison,  it  was  alleged  that  the 
people  of  Baden  had  confidence  in  their  gov- 
ernment, the  Baden  three  and  one-half  per 
cents  being  quoted  at  seventy-two  and  three- 
fourths,  while  the  Austrian  four  per  cents 
were  only  fifty-nine  and  one-fourth,  and  the 
Belgian  four  per  cents,  eighty-two. 

On  June  ist,  the  State  Committee  held  its 
last   session,   and    transferred    its  power,   and 


Provisional  Government  i6i 

the  power  of  the  Executive  Commission,  to  a 
Provisional  government,  composed  of  Bren- 
tano,  Goegg,  Fickler,  Peter,  and  Sigel. 

In  closing  its  brief  existence,  the  State 
Committee  gave  out  an  address  signed  by  all  its 
members,  addressed  like  its  first  effort,  to  the 
"  People  of  Baden,"  in  which  "  the  impossibility 
of  so  large  a  body  carrying  on  the  impending 
great  contest  for  the  liberation  of  Germany" 
was  alleged  as  the  reason  for  dissolving. 

Barely  had  the  Provisional  government 
come  into  being  when,  on  June  2d,  it  met 
with  a  calamity  in  the  arrest  of  Joseph  Fickler, 
one  of  its  members,  in  Stuttgart.  Misfortune 
seemed  to  follow  this  man  now,  as  it  had  the 
year  before,  when  he  was  arrested  in  Carls- 
ruhe.  The  day  of  his  election  to  the  Provi- 
sional government,  he  had  been  sent  to 
Wiirtemberg  to  influence  the  people  there  to 
assist  the  cause  for  which  Baden  was  strug- 
gling. Closely  on  his  heels  followed  a  spy, 
and  gave  the  information  leading  to  his  arrest, 
and  he  had  hardly  arrived  in  Stuttgart,  and 
was  about  to  re-enter  his  drosky  after  leaving 
a  clothing  store  on  the  Markt  Strasse,  where, 
owing  to  the  heat,  he  had  purchased  a  light 
summer  coat,  when  he  was  taken  in  charge 
and  led  to  the  Asperg  prison. 


i62    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

When  the  Carlsruhe  Zeitung  published  the 
news  of  the  arrest,  there  was  consternation  in 
the  city,  which  induced  the  four  remaining 
members  of  the  Provisional  government  to 
publish  a  note  addressed  to  the  "  People  of 
Wiirtemberg"  instead  of  to  the  government 
of  that  state,  a  note  which  in  effect  was 
a  declaration  of  war.  Indignantly  they  pro- 
tested : 

"  Will  your  eyes  now  be  opened  ?  Will  you  now  recog- 
nise that  kings,  even  when  they  have  sworn  to  support 
the  German  constitution,  will  not  keep  their  word  ?  Will 
you  bear  such  mean  betrayal  of  the  cause  of  the  people, 
of  the  cause  of  Germany  ?  No  !  You  will  rise  as  one 
man.  You  will  drive  out  such  a  government  with  weap- 
ons in  your  hands.  We  will,  on  our  side,  with  the  most 
determined  efforts,  attempt  to  obtain  the  freedom  of  our 
fellow  citizen,  a  member  of  the  highest  governing  body 
of  Baden, 

"  We  will  necessarily  regard  this  step  of  your  govern- 
ment as  a  declaration  of  war  against  us,  against  the 
German  cause  ;  and  will,  with  arms,  demand  reparation. 
Your  government  is  our  enemy,  we  will  oppose  it  with 
the  sword.  Up  then,  men  of  Swabia,  go  with  us  into 
the  fight.  The  people  will  win,  the  crowned  rebels 
will   be  annihilated." 

This  hasty  and  undiplomatic  action  caused  a 
painful  sensation  in  Wiirtemberg,  even  among 
the  friends  of  the  revolution,  and  on  June  5th, 
in    the    Second    Chamber    a    resolution   was 


Provisional  Government  i6 


J 


adopted  by  a  vote  of  seventy-two  to  nine, 
expressing  the  extreme  indignation  of  the 
Chamber  on  the  matter.  Romer,  upon  being 
interrogated  about  the  reason  of  Fickler's  ar- 
rest, gave  politic  answers  and  pretended  to 
know  nothing  personally  about  the  affair,  but 
when  referring  to  the  Baden  note,  declared 
impressively  : 

**  If  the  document  is  authentic,  it  carries  with  it  such 
a  mark  of  madness,  that  we  must  not  notice  it  further 
.  .  .  ;  if,  however,  the  Provisional  government  de- 
clares war  against  Wiirtemberg,     .     .     .     let  it  come!" 

The  government  received  another  shock  a 
few  days  later,  which  added  new  fuel  to  the 
already  slumbering  fires  of  reactionism. 

After  the  dissolution  of  the  State  Commit- 
tee and  the  creation  of  the  Provisional  gov- 
ernment, the  ill  feeling  which  had  existed 
among  a  portion  of  the  members  of  the  first 
named  body  against  Brentano,  assumed  an- 
other and  more  active  form. 

At  two  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  June  5th, 
in  the  rear  chamber  of  the  Townhall,  there 
was  organised  a  Club,  the  ostensible  purpose 
of  which  was,  "  to  watch  over  and  lead  the 
affairs  of  the  people  and  their  government." 
It  was  called  the  "  Club  of  Determined  Pro-  L 
gress  "  (des  entschiedenen  Fortschritts^ 


164    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Struve,  who  had  always  been  the  leader  of 
the  opposition,  was  the  nominal  head  of  the 
Club,  while  Karl  Heinzen  was  the  real  leader, 
the  two  together  being  the  fathers  of  the 
organisation,  having  quietly  invited  certain 
persons  whom  they  desired  to  attend.  Hein- 
zen, like  Struve,  was.  an  extreme  republican, 
and  had  participated  in  the  Hecker  uprising, 
and  jointly  with  Struve,  had  published  an  ac- 
count of  it,  and  afterward,  in  the  summer  of 
1848,  also  in  conjunction  with  Struve,  had 
published  the  little  work.  Plan  for  the  Revolu- 
tionising and  RepiLblica7iising  of  Germany, 
thousands  of  copies  of  which  had  been  circu- 
lated in  Baden. 

Heinzen's  feeling  against  Brentano's  gov- 
ernment was  also  largely  influenced  by  dis- 
appointment occasioned  by  his  failure  to  secure 
authority  to  form  a  legion,  which  he  had 
proposed  to  command,  although  he  naively 
admitted  after  the  collapse  of  the  revolution, 
that  he  was  not  specially  fitted  by  education 
or  training  for  a  military  charge. 

Struve  was  elected  president  of  the  Club, 
and  Samuel  Erdman  Tzschirner,  a  Saxon  ref- 
ugee, who  had  been  Dictator  in  the  late  short- 
lived Provisional  government  of  that  state, 
was  made  vice-president,  while  the  secretary 


Provisional  Government  165 

was  Martlny  of  Liegnitz,  formerly  a  Prussian 
county  judge,  now  a  member  of  the  National 
Assembly  from  that  state,  in  which  body  he 
belonged  to  the  extreme  Left. 

Strange  as  it  may  appear,  Goegg,  a  member 
of  the  Provisional  government,  attended  the 
meeting  and  took  part  in  the  discussions, 
although  all  the  proceedings  were  aimed  at 
the  body  of  which  he  was  a  member.  Johann 
Phillip  Becker,  the  commander  of  the  national 
guard,  as  well  as  most  of  his  aids,  were  also 
in  attendance. 

Boning,  the  commander  of  the  Swiss  Legion, 
was  there  with  Reininger,  the  commandant  of 
the  city,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Tiedemann  of 
the  army,  and  not  far  from  them  sat  Dr.  B.  H. 
Oppenheim,  the  Jewish  journalist  who  had 
been  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  Berlin  Revolution 
of  March,  1848,  and  now  edited  the  Carlsruhe 
Zeitung,  the  government's  own  organ,  having 
succeeded  Blind. 

Immediately  after  the  completion  of  the 
organisation,  Tzschirner  presented  a  resolu- 
tion containing  eleven  demands  on  the  Pro- 
visional government,  which  was  unanimously 
adopted,  and  a  deputation  elected,  with  Becker 
at  its  head,  to  present  the  paper  to  Brentano. 
It  was  couched   in    bold,   if    not    threatening 


1 66    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

language,  and  openly  and  by  innuendo  criti- 
cised the  Provisional  government,  and  the 
manner  in  which  it  was  prosecuting  the 
war. 

At  half-past  four  o'clock  the  Club  took  a 
recess  to  await  the  return  of  the  committee. 
Brentano  had  been  kept  informed  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Club,  and  when  the  demands 
were  handed  to  him,  in  the  Assembly  House, 
with  the  remark  that  the  meeting  would  re- 
main permanently  in  session  until  the  answer 
was  received,  he  dryly  replied,  that  if  such 
were  the  case,  the  gentlemen  would  remain 
sitting  until  noon  the  next  day,  as  the  answer 
would  not  be  given  before  that  time. 

Brentano  saw  in  the  action  of  the  Club  a 
declaration  of  war  upon  himself,  and  at  once 
took  up  the  gage  of  battle. 

The  greatest  excitement  soon  prevailed  in 
the  city,  and  the  most  exaggerated  reports  of 
the  trouble  flew  through  the  streets.  It  was 
said  the  government  was  to  be  overthrown  by 
Struve,  a  red  republic  established  in  its  place, 
and  the  city  given  over  to  be  plundered  by  the 
volunteers. 

Becker,  by  reason  of  his  position  as  Com- 
mander-in-Chief of  the  national  guard,  was  the 
ranking  officer  then  in  the  city,  and  by  virtue 


Provisional  Government  167 

of  an  order  of  Sigel,  had  command  of  the 
troops  in  the  district,  but  the  only  forces  in 
Carlsruhe  that  acknowledged  his  leadership 
were  the  four  hundred  men  of  the  Fuofitive 
Legion,  the  three  hundred  men  of  the  Carls- 
ruhe Free-Corps,  of  which  the  Robert  Blum 
Legion  was  a  company,  and  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men  of  the  Polish  Legion.  With  this 
force,  under  the  pretense  of  caring  for  the  safety 
of  the  city,  and  to  protect  it  from  the  reaction 
of  the  Carlsruhe  bourgeoisie,  which,  according 
to  Struve  and  his  confederates,  was  about  to 
attempt  a  "coup  "  and  recall  the  Grand  Duke, 
Becker  took  possession  of  the  Ministry  of 
War,  the  Armoury,  the  powder  magazines,  the 
barracks  at  Gottesau,  which  were  filled  with 
war  materials,  the  Assembly  House,  Town- 
hall,  railway  station,  and  the  Hotel  to  the 
Pariscr  Hof,  where  the  members  of  the  govern- 
ment as  well  as  himself  and  his  adjutants 
lodged.  In  addition,  he  doubled  the  guards 
everywhere,  and  posted  vedettes  from  the  In- 
fantry Barracks  to  the  Armoury,  the  remainder 
of  his  force  being  ordered  to  remain  in  the 
Infantry  Barracks,  so  as  to  be  ready  to  march 
at  a  moment's  notice. 

Brentano  was  filled  with  alarm,  and  in  all 
haste  sent  messengers  to  the  nearby  cities  and 


1 68    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

towns  for  military  assistance,  and  also  accepted 
the  proffered  services  of  the  burgher-guard  ; 
and  soon  armed  burgher-guards  were  quietly 
going  from  house  to  house,  rapping  on  the 
closed  shutters  and  doors  with  the  butts  of 
their  guns,  and  calling  the  sleeping  members  of 
their  organisation  to  arms,  disappearing  quickly 
when  Becker's  volunteer  patrol  appeared  ;  and 
only  one  of  their  number,  an  actor  in  the  Court 
Theatre,  named  Hock,  was  caught  and  arrested. 

The  first  detachment  of  the  burgher-guard 
to  arrive,  was  quietly  placed  in  the  Assembly 
House,  where  Brentano  had  his  headquarters. 
In  the  course  of  the  night  two  men  were  ar- 
rested here,  accused  of  making  an  attempt  on 
the  life  of  Brentano.  They  were  Wilhelm 
Liebknecht,  a  member  of  the  Club,  and  an- 
other young  man  named  Stenger.  The  only 
evidence  against  them,  however,  was  that  they 
inquired  for  Brentano,  and  had  daggers  on 
their  persons. 

The  first  of  the  outside  troops  to  come  to 
the  assistance  of  Brentano  were  two  hundred 
national  guards  from  Breisach,  and  shortly 
after  daybreak  the  next  morning  extra  trains 
brought  the  national  guard  of  Ettlingen,  Phil- 
ipsburg,  and  Gaggenau,  and  at  noon  a  battal- 
ion of  the  line  arrived  from  Bruchsal ;  while 


Provisional  Government  169 

still  later  two  companies  of  line  soldiers  came 
from  Rastatt. 

Becker's  force  at  the  railway  station  kept 
him  informed  as  to  what  was  transpiring  there, 
and  from  other  sources  he  learned  of  the  move- 
ments of  the  burgher-guards.  The  opposing 
force  was  now  becoming  too  overwhelming,  so 
early  on  the  morning  of  June  6th,  he  withdrew 
his  guards  from  the  places  occupied  by  them 
during  the  previous  night,  and  ordered  them 
all  back  into  the  Infantry  Barracks. 

The  morning  came,  warm  and  sultry.  At 
daybreak  the  muster-call  of  the  Carlsruhe 
burgher-guards  rang  through  the  streets,  and 
bodies  of  that  organisation  began  to  gather 
on  the  Schloss  Place.  A  report  spread  that 
the  Infantry  Barracks  had  been  set  on  fire  by 
the  volunteers.  The  municipal  authorities 
thereupon  gave  orders  to  the  people  to  secure 
their  houses,  and  directed  the  women  and  chil- 
dren to  remain  off  the  streets. 

To  make  matters  worse,  a  great  red  flag  was 
seen  waving  over  the  Townhall,  where  some 
of  Becker's  aids  had  just  set  a  number  of 
prisoners  free. 

Brentano  had  already  called  Becker  to  the 
Assembly  House,  and  accused  him  of  attempt- 
ing to  make  himself  Dictator,  and  finally  told 


170    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

him  that  he  must  prepare  to  leave  the  city  at 
once  for  Heidelberg  with  his  volunteers,  in 
order  to  take  part  in  a  contemplated  movement 
of  Sigel's. 

The  streets  were  now  teeming  with  marching 
soldiers,  burgher-guards,  and  national  guards, 
all  moving  toward  the  Schloss  Place,  where 
they  assembled.  With  them  was  a  squadron 
of  dragoons,  the  entire  force  being  nominally 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Gerber  of  the 
Carlsruhe  burgher-guard,  but  Brentano  being 
present  and  directing  the  movements. 

The  volunteers  also  came,  each  man  wear- 
ing a  red  cockade,  and  were  formed  in  battle 
array  under  the  shade  of  the  trees  on  the  side 
of  the  Schloss  Place  opposite  Brentano's  men. 
On  their  appearance,  the  head  of  the  govern- 
ment ordered  his  eight  cannon,  loaded  with 
canister  and  shrapnel,  to  be  pointed  at  them. 

At  eleven  o'clock,  Struve,  wearing  a  little 
black  hat  with  a  broad  band,  and  the  tri-col- 
oured  scarf  across  his  breast,  also  appeared, 
and  unlike  the  friends  who  accompanied  him, 
carried  no  red  insignia  on  his  person.  He 
spoke  soothingly  to  the  officers  of  the  burgher- 
guard.  As  they  approached,  and  accused 
him  of  desiring  to  overthrow  the  government, 
proclaim    a   republic,   and    let    the   volunteers 


Provisional  Government  171 

plunder  the  city,  he  in  an  uncommonly  quiet 
tone  of  voice  replied  that  the  reproach  was 
entirely  unjust,  that  he  would  neither  ruin  the 
government  nor  establish  a  republic  ;  that  the 
designs  of  himself  and  his  friends  were  en- 
tirely honest ;  that  they  had  nothing  else  in 
view  than  to  instil  more  vigour  into  the  govern- 
ment and  give  it  a  greater  amount  of  revolu- 
tionary energy. 

At  noon  the  o-overnment's  answer  to  the 
Club's  demands  was  handed  to  the  committee 
at  the  Pariser  Hof,  It  had  been  prepared  by 
Brentano  and  signed  by  the  three  members 
of  the  government  present  in  Carlsruhe,  in- 
cludinof  GoeofSf.  It  was  in  effect  a  statement 
showing  that  everything  about  which  the  Club 
was  complaining  had  been  attended  to  before 
an  inkling  had  been  received  of  any  dissatis- 
faction with  the  manner  in  which  the  govern- 
ment was  being  conducted.  By  Brentano's 
order,  the  answer  was  also  immediately  posted 
at  all  the  street  corners  in  Carlsruhe. 

Repeatedly  during  the  day,  the  Provisional 
government  had  sent  word  to  Becker  to  leave 
at  once  for  Heidelberg  with  the  Swiss  Legion 
and  the  rest  of  the  volunteers. 

He  was  in  his  office  giving  orders  when,  at 
three  o'clock,  he  received  a  most  peremptory 


1/2    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

call  to  appear  in  the  small  council  chamber. 
In  the  meantime,  troops  had  been  massed 
around  the  Townhall,  and  a  battery  hauled 
into  the  court,  and  completely  in  the  power  of 
the  government,  Becker  obeyed  the  order  and 
faced  his  chief. 

Brentano,  pale  and  determined,  a  sword  at 
his  side,  surrounded  by  soldiers  and  burgher- 
guards,  asked  him  fiercely  why  he  had  not  left 
Carlsruhe,  adding,  "  You  will  go  to  prison.  You 
have  often  accused  me  of  lacking  energy,  now 
I  will  show  you  that  I  possess  it."  Upon 
which  Becker  answered,  "It  appears  you  have 
energy  only  against  your  friends,  and  not 
against  the  enemies  of  the  cause."  Brentano 
then  demanded  his  sword,  and  upon  Becker's 
refusing  to  give  it  up,  ordered  the  burgher- 
guards  to  make  him  a  prisoner.  When  they 
advanced  with  levelled  bayonets,  Becker  an- 
grily threw  his  sword  on  the  floor,  and  ac- 
companied his  captors  to  a  dungeon  in  the 
building. 

The  news  of  Becker's  arrest  fell  like  a  thun- 
derclap from  a  clear  sky  on  the  members  of 
the  Club  in  session  in  a  chamber  in  the  same 
building,  and  so  startled  them  that  the  room 
they  occupied  was  emptied  in  little  more 
than  a  minute,  every  one  rushing  down  stairs 


Provisional  Government  J  73 

pell-mell  ;  only  Struve  and  a  few  others  re- 
mained to  discuss  the  situation. 

Struve  soon  hurried  to  Brentano,  and  de- 
manded of  him,  "You  have  arrested  Becker?" 

"  Yes,  and  you,  too,"  snapped  out  the  man 
who  was  accused  of  lack  of  energy,  ordering 
him  to  be  taken  into  custody ;  and  in  a  few 
minutes  after  the  members  of  the  Club  had  left 
so  unceremoniously,  all  the  exits  of  the  build- 
ing were  occupied  by  soldiers.  In  a  short 
time  Boning,  who  had  been  arrested  in  the 
street,  and  Tzschirner,  were  also  brought  into 
the  building  as  prisoners. 

Max  Dortu  and  Becker's  son,  immediately 
on  Becker's  arrest,  had  hurried  to  the  Infantry 
Barracks  for  the  purpose  of  inducing  the  vol- 
unteers to  undertake  the  liberation  of  Becker, 
Boning,  and  the  others,  which  they  promised 
with  ''  lebehochsr 

They  formed  in  the  Lange  Strasse  and  the 
streets  intersecting  it  in  the  neighbourhood, 
with  a  reserve  in  the  court  of  the  Barracks.  Hoff 
came  to  the  Barracks  and  attempted  to  quiet 
the  volunteers,  who,  however,  would  not  listen 
to  him,  but  demanded  the  liberation  of  their 
leaders.  Later  Goegg  appeared  with  Durr,  an 
adjutant  of  the  Swiss  Legion,  and  made  a 
pacific  speech.     He  spoke  of  the  "  misunder- 


174    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

standing,"  and  asked  the  troops  if  they  would 
leave  for  Heidelberg  provided  Becker  and 
Boning  were  released,  which  they  all  joyfully 
promised. 

Goegg  and  Peter  now  went  to  Brentano, 
and  succeeded  in  obtaining  his  promise  to  set 
the  prisoners  free,  on  condition  that  Becker 
and  Boning  agreed  to  go  to  Heidelberg  at 
once,  all  the  members  of  the  government  being 
of  the  opinion  that  if  the  stipulation  was  com- 
plied with  the  prisoners  should  be  liberated. 

Later,  Brentano  walked  through  the  streets, 
arm  in  arm  with  Struve  to  the  latter's  lodgings 
in  the  Pariser  Hof,  it  being  feared  the  soldiers 
might  do  him  bodily  injury  if  unaccompanied, 
and  Brentano  was  everywhere  greeted  with 
thunderous  "  hochsT  Peter  squeezed  the  hand 
of  Becker  numberless  times,  when  he  came  out 
after  his  imprisonment,  and  marched  through 
the  streets  with  him,  to  the  place  where  his 
men  were  stationed,  where  he  was  received 
with  the  same  demonstrations  that  had  just 
greeted  Brentano.  At  six  o'clock  the  Swiss 
Legion  left  for  the  Hessian  frontier  by  rail,  as 
did  also  the  Carlsruhe  Free-Corps,  and  the 
Robert  Blum  and  Polish  Legfions.  Under  the 
agreement,  Struve  was  also  to  leave  the  city, 
which  he  did  on  June  8th.     Dr.  Oppenheim 


Provisional  Government  175 

was  dismissed  from  the  editorial  chair  of  the 
Carlsruhe  Zeitung,  and  Paul  Romisch  given 
the  place. 

Becker  was  removed  from  the  chief  com- 
mand of  the  national  guard,  his  successor  being 
Friedrich  Doll,  one  of  the  men  who  had 
taken  part  in  both  the  Hecker  and  Struve 
uprisings.  A  number  of  Becker's  aids  who 
had  made  themselves  particularly  obnoxious, 
had  warrants  of  arrest  sent  after  them,  at  least 
a  notice  to  that  effect  appeared  in  the  Carls- 
ruhe Zeitung,  although  the  same  men  re- 
mained unmolested  with  the  army,  in  Becker's 
headquarters,  and  took  loyal  part  in  the  sub- 
sequent campaigns. 

The  brief  reign  of  terror  was  over.  The 
radical  wing  of  the  revolutionary  party  was 
crushed,  yet  remained  loyal  to  the  cause,  and 
had  gone  forth  to  battle  for  it  in  the  north. 
Brentano  and  the  conservatives  continued  in 
power.  Not  a  drop  of  blood  had  been  shed, 
and  the  Club  of  Determined  Progress  was 
never  heard  of  again,  but  the  good  people  of 
Carlsruhe  yearned  more  than  ever  for  the 
return  of  the  absent  Grand  Duke. 

The  Provisional  government  now  busied 
itself  with  preparations  for  the  coming  session 
of  the  Constituent  Assembly,  and  took  steps 


176    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

to  carry  out  the  law  relating  to  the  organisa- 
tion of  the  first  levy  of  troops. 

In  many  of  the  communities,  the  enrollment 
of  the  first  levy  met  with  much  opposition 
and  it  was  necessary  to  use  troops  to  compel 
compliance  with  the  law.  The  government 
thereupon  enacted  a  decree,  that  whenever 
opposition  was  manifested  in  this  respect,  and 
it  became  necessary  to  send  troops  to  enforce 
obedience,  their  maintenance  must  be  paid  for 
by  the  refractory  community,  which  was  to 
pay,  in  addition,  the  sum  of  thirty  kreutzers 
for  each  soldier  so  quartered. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  CONSTITUENT  ASSEMBLY 

ALMOST  all  the  leaders  of  the  revolution 
were  elected  members  of  the  Constituent 
Assembly,  the  Constitimnte,  as  they  loved  to 
call  it,  after  the  body  of  like  character  which 
was  once  formed  to  regenerate  France.  Bren- 
tano  and  Peter  were  elected  from  two  districts. 
Friedrich  Hecker,  although  still  absent  from 
the  country,  was  also  elected,  as  were  Von 
Rotteck,  Christ,  Goegg,  Werner,  Damm,  Thie- 
bauth,  Steinmetz,  Junghans,  Stay,  Hoff,  Mor- 
des  and  the  soldier,  Ritter  of  Karsau. 

On  the  loth  of  June,  the  day  fixed  by  the 
State  Committee,  the  first  session  of  the  Con- 
stituent Assembly  took  place. 

The  Provisional  government  had  made  care- 
ful preparations  for  the  elections  held  on  June 
3d,  and  its  candidates  were  successful  almost 
everywhere.  The  late  Club  of  Determined 
Progress  did  not  have  a  representative  in  the 
new  body,  Struve  alone  being  elected  later  at  a 

13 


178    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

supplementary  election  in  the  district  of  which 
Engen  was  part,  a  fact  he  only  discovered  on 
June  24th,  at  Durlach,  while  returning  south 
with  Mieroslawski's  retreating  army. 

In  round  numbers  one  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  votes  were  cast,  indicating  that  a 
large  majority  of  the  electors  of  Baden  had 
participated  in  the  elections.  The  army, 
wherever  it  was  found,  in  the  field,  in  the 
towns,  or  in  the  villages,  took  part.  Line 
soldiers,  national  guards,  Swiss,  Poles,  Hun- 
garians, all  were  given  ballots  by  their  com- 
pany commanders. 

No  other  German  state  elected  Deputies, 
not  even  the  Palatinate,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  the  State  Committee  had  given  per- 
mission to  all  German  countries  which  favoured 
the  imperial  constitution,  to  send  representa- 
tives to  the  Constituent  Assembly. 

The  result  was  the  election  of  eighty  Depu- 
ties, men  of  force  and  education,  with,  as 
usual  in  revolutions,  a  respectable  sprinkling 
of  demagogues.  Here,  as  in  the  State  Com- 
mittee, a  large  percentage  of  the  members  were 
lawyers,  and  next  in  numerical  order  came  the 
physicians ;  schoolmasters  were  there  in  num- 
bers, as  also  a  professor  or  two  from  the  higher 
educational  institutions.     Business  men  and  a 


Constituent  Assembly  179 

few  of  the  minor  officials  had  also  been  elected. 
The  clergy,  too,  had  at  least  five  representatives, 
among  whom  were  staunch  Protestant  pastors, 
side  by  side  with  Romish  priests. 

On  Saturday,  June  9th,  the  Deputies  began 
to  arrive,  and  the  next  day  was  made  a  gala  day, 
and  in  a  highly  festive  manner,  and  according 
to  the  programme  already  announced  in  the 
Carlsruhe  Zeitung,  the  sessions  were  opened. 

All  public  and  many  private  buildings  were 
decorated  with  black,  red,  and  gold  flags.  At 
twelve  o'clock  noon,  a  parade  of  the  burgher- 
guards  of  Carlsruhe  and  the  neighbouring 
towns  and  villages  was  held  on  the  Schloss 
Place,  where  they  were  inspected  by  the  Pro- 
visional government.  At  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  they  again  assembled  at  the  same 
point  and  marched  to  the  Market- Place,  in 
front  of  the  Townhall,  and  from  there  went 
through  the  Lange  Strasse  to  the  Assembly 
House  before  which  they  formed  in  line  on 
both  sides  of  the  street.  At  four  o'clock  the 
church  bells  rang  and  cannon  boomed  on  the 
Schloss  Place,  signalising  that  the  Constituent 
Assembly  of  Baden  was  being  organised.  The 
body  was  formally  opened  in  a  short  speech  by 
Temporary  Chairman  Schlatter,  a  young  Pro- 
testant minister  of  Miihlbach,  who  had  been 


i8o    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

elected  in  the  morning  at  a  secret  session  called 
for  the  purpose  of  consultation.  The  members 
of  the  Provisional  government  who  were  wait- 
ing in  the  council  chamber  of  the  Townhall, 
were  now  invited  to  appear,  and  on  entering 
and  taking  their  seats  on  the  government 
bench,  were  received  by  the  delegates  and  the 
overflowing  galleries  with  tumultuous  '' hochs" 

After  the  applause  had  subsided,  Brentano 
stepped  to  the  speakers'  platform,  and  in  the 
name  of  the  people  bade  the  Assembly  wel- 
come. He  entered  into  a  brief  review  of  the 
political  history  of  Germany  and  Baden,  be- 
ginning with  the  time  of  the  revolution  of 
1848,  and  frankly  told  what  the  State  Com- 
mittee and  the  Provisional  government  had 
each  done,  from  the  time  they  were  first  placed 
in  power. 

The  speech  was  listened  to  with  rapt  atten- 
tion, and  as  he  concluded  with  the  words, 
"  God  save  the  fatherland :  everything  for 
Germany,"  the  building  rang  with  applause, 
after  which  the  chairman  requested  the  repre- 
sentatives to  express  the  thanks  of  the  people 
to  the  Provisional  government,  which  was  done 
by  a  rising  vote. 

On  Monday  Deputy  Damm  was  unanimously 
elected  president.      Hoff  of   Mannheim   then 


Constituent  Assembly 


i«i 


presented  four  propositions,  which  he  asked 
to  have  promptly  acted  upon.  The  first  set 
forth,  that  the  arming  and  equipping  of  the 
national  guard  of  the  first  levy,  already  in 
the  field,  being  very  defective,  the  Ministry  of 
War  should  be  instructed  to  make  preparations 
without  delay  to  provide  them  with  cartridge 
pouches,  shoes  and  socks  ;  the  next  asked  that 
the  fortress  of  Rastatt  be  reprovisioned  and 
supplied  with  ammunition  ;  the  third  related 
to  the  scarcity  and  high  cost  of  food  in  the 
north  of  Baden,  where  the  troops  where  quar- 
tered, and  regulated  the  prices  of  provisions, 
while  the  last  provided  for  the  dissolution  of 
the  reactionary  gendarmerie,  and  the  use  of 
the  qualified  members  as  officers  and  instruc- 
tors in  the  national  guard.  The  resolutions 
were  all  acted  on  in  the  evening  at  the  secret 
session,  and  adopted. 

At  the  secret  session  Goegg  also  addressed 
the  Assembly  on  the  work  of  the  Ministry  of 
Finance,  and  introduced  a  bill  for  raising  a 
forced  loan,  to  be  secured  by  pledging  the 
state  domain,  in  which  it  was  provided  that 
all  persons,  corporations,  and  trustees,  whose 
estate,  over  and  above  indebtedness,  amounted 
to  more  than  ten  thousand  florins,  should 
pay    certain   sums    to    the  government.     For 


i82    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

possessions  of  from  ten  to  twenty  thousand 
florins,  one  hundred  florins  were  to  be  paid, 
and  one  hundred  florins  for  each  additional 
ten  thousand  florins  of  fortune.  The  loan  was 
to  bear  five  per  cent,  interest,  and  obligations 
were  to  be  issued  for  the  same. 

At  this  session  it  was  also  decided  to  sell 
thirty  thousand  hundred  weight  of  pig  iron, 
out  of  the  supply  of  two  hundred  thousand 
owned  by  the  government,  to  the  Swiss,  Para- 
vicini  of  Basle,  from  which  sale  about  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  thousand  florins  would  be 
realised,  with  which  it  was  thought  the  im- 
mediate needs  of  the  government  could  be 
met,  until  such  time  as  money  was  received 
from  the  proposed  forced  loan,  and  from  the 
assignats,  amounting  to  two  million  florins 
previously  authorised  by  the  two  Baden 
Chambers. 

A  Dictatorship  was  declared  in  Baden  by  the 
Constituent  Assembly  on  June  13th.  Four 
propositions  in  relation  to  the  subject  were 
debated  :  A  regency,  consisting  of  Brentano ; 
the  appointment  of  three  Ministers  by  the 
Assembly ;  a  Dictatorship,  composed  of  three 
persons,  and  a  Minister  President,  who  should 
appoint  the  chiefs  of  the  various  ministries. 

After  a  lengthy  debate,  the  resolution  for  a 


Constituent  Assembly  183 

Dictatorship  of  three  persons,  which  had  been 
introduced  by  Pastor  Lehlbach,  was  adopted, 
and  the  Dictators  were  elected  at  once.  Out 
of  fifty-seven  votes  cast,  Brentano  received 
fifty-five,  Goegg  forty-seven,  and  Werner 
thirty-four.  These  three  were  declared  elected, 
and  thenceforward,  if  only  for  a  short  time,  were 
the  Dictators  of  Baden. 

Baden  was  also  proclaimed  a  free  state  with 
enthusiastic  ''  kocks,'"  and  the  Constituent  As- 
sembly declared  permanent. 

At  this  session  another  important  debate 
took  place.  It  was  on  the  question  as  to 
whether  the  Grand  Duke  mieht  return. 
Junghans  spoke  in  favour  of  the  motion,  and 
asserted  that  it  would  be  most  fortunate  if  the 
Grand  Duke  came  back,  but  after  a  heated 
discussion  the  Constituent  Assembly  almost 
unanimously  decided  against  the  motion,  one 
member  remarking  that  he  desired  no  more 
"  by  the  grace  of  God  "  government. 

At  the  session  of  June  15th  Brentano  re- 
luctantly agreed  to  accept  the  position  of  First 
Dictator,  at  the  same  time  stating  that  he 
would  retain  the  office  only  until  the  return  of 
Dr.  Friedrich  Hecker  from  America.  Goegg 
and  Werner  also  deciding  to  accept,  on  motion 
of   Mordes,    it  was  agreed  that   the   officials 


1 84    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

assume  their  offices  at  once.  Whereupon  Presi- 
dent Damm  declared  the  new  government 
constituted,  and  Brentano,  Goegg  and  Werner 
having  taken  the  oath  of  fidelity  to  the  people 
of  Baden,  took  their  places  at  the  government 
table. 

The  same  day  a  law  was  passed  defining 
the  authority  of  the  Dictatorship  In  ten  arti- 
cles, in  which  practically  unlimited  powers 
were  g-iven  the  Triumvirate. 

On  June  16th  Thiebauth  Informed  the  As- 
sembly of  the  manifesto  sent  by  the  Grand 
Duke  to  all  the  Baden  Deputies  to  the  Na- 
tional Assembly,  notifying  them  that  he  no 
longer  recognised  that  body,  and  stating  that 
the  mandate  of  the  Deputies  was  extin- 
guished. 

Thiebauth  thereupon  proposed  a  resolution 
declaring  the  notice  of  recall,  to  be  void,  and 
directing  the  Deputies  to  stay  In  their  places. 
After  many  severe  strictures  upon  the  Grand 
Duke  ("Citizen  Leopold  of  Zahrlngen,"  ac- 
cording to  an  expression  of  Stelnmetz)  the 
motion   was   as^reed   to. 

On  the  18th  of  June,  the  day  the  National 
Assembly  was  dispersed  In  Wiirtemberg,  the 
question  always  uppermost  In  the  minds  of 
the  radicals,   the  disarming  of  the  Carlsruhe 


Constituent  Assembly  185 

burgher-guards,  came  up,  and  Stay  interpel- 
lated Brentano  and  asked  why  this  had  not 
been  done.  *'  The  reasons,"  answered  Bren- 
tano, to  whom  the  subject  was  an  ever  recur- 
ring cause  for  irritation,  "  it  is  not  necessary 
for  me  to  give.  We  have  the  dictatorial 
power,  and  if  you  remove  us,  then  we  will 
give  an  account,  and  set  forth  our  reasons." 

Later,  when  Steinmetz,  who,  next  to  Stay, 
was  the  most  troublesome  member  for  Bren- 
tano, asked  what  measures  the  government 
had  taken  to  procure  the  release  of  Repre- 
sentative Zimmerman,  who  was  held  a  pris- 
oner by  the  Prussians,  Brentano  answered, 
amid  the  laughter  of  Assembly  :  "  The  govern- 
ment will  at  once  send  Citizen  Steinmetz  into 
the  Prussian  camp  to  demand  Deputy  Zimmer- 
man's release." 

On  June  13th,  the  newly  constituted  Im- 
perial Regency  had  given  out  a  proclamation 
relating  to  the  formation  of  an  Imperial  Army. 
When  therefore  on  June  i8th,  the  question  of 
placing  the  Baden-Palatine  army  under  the 
control  of  the  Regency  was  debated,  and  after 
Stay,  wearing  a  blood-red  neckerchief  as  a  sym- 
bol of  his  republican  principles,  had  delivered  a 
lengthy  philippic  in  support  of  his  favourite 
form  of  government,  it  was  decided  that  under 


1 86    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

the  circumstances,  it  would  be  dangerous  to 
give  the  disposition  of  the  troops  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  Baden  government. 

The  last  session  of  the  Assembly  held  in 
Carlsruhe  took  place  on  the  evening  of  June 
23d,  and  the  question  before  the  body  was  its 
own  safety,  the  thunder  of  the  Prussian  cannon 
being  already  heard  in  the  city. 

The  members  were  finally  induced  by  the 
still  hopeful  Pastor  Lehlbach,  to  delay  their 
departure,  and  they  did  not  leave  the  city  un- 
til the  evening  of  the  next  day,  the  last  words 
of  President  Damm  to  them  being,  that  they 
must  leave  together  in  good  order  and  "  not 
disappear  like  the  night  and  mist."  They 
proceeded  to  Offenburg,  where  a  session  was 
held  on  the  25th,  at  which  Struve  was  present 
for  the  first  time,  where  the  only  business 
transacted  was,  to  decide  to  go  to  Freiburg 
the  next  day,  which  was  done. 


CHAPTER   XII 

SKIRMISH  AT  WEINHEIM— MIEROSLAWSKI— 
FIGHT  AT  WALDMICHELBACH— REPULSE 
OF  THE  ALLIES  ON  JUNE  15TH— EVACUA- 
TION OF  THE  HIRSCHHORN  SCHLOSS  BY 
THE  HANAU  TURNERS  —  RETREAT  OF 
VON  PEUCKER  ON  JUNE  16TH 

AFTER  his  accession  to  the  chief  com- 
mand of  the  Baden  army,  Colonel  von 
Beck  determined  on  an  exclusively  defensive 
campaign,  in  accordance  with  the  decision 
of  the  council  of  war  held  at  the  time  of 
Sigel's  resignation.  The  disposition  of  the 
troops  under  his  command  appears  to  have 
been  loose  and  without  display  of  good  judg- 
ment, and  he  does  not  seem  to  have  taken  the 
least  precaution  against  surprise. 

Before  daybreak  on  June  5th,  the  Hessians 
appeared  at  Weinheim,  where  a  force  of 
national  guards  from  Heidelberg,  and  the 
battalion  from  Offenburg  and  Lahr  were  sta- 
tioned. The  Hessians  came  in  the  quietest 
manner,  while  at  the  same  time  the  Mecklen- 

187 


1 88    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

burgers  advanced  from  Furth  by  way  of 
Birkenau,  and  another  division  of  the  enemy's 
troops  came  from  Lorch  through  Huttenfeld, 
the  intention  being  to  attack  from  three  sides, 
and  capture  the  entire  force  of  Badeners. 
The  purpose  of  the  alHes  was  to  take  the 
Badeners  by  surprise,  but  in  this  they  failed, 
as  their  approach  had  become  known  in 
Weinheim  an  hour  before  they  arrived.  The 
national  guards  assembled  hastily  and  retired, 
fighting,  toward  the  vineyards  back  of  Wein- 
heim and  in  the  direction  of  Dossenheim. 

Here  they  held  the  allied  troops  at  bay  for 
two  and  a  half  hours,  losing  nine  in  killed,  and 
prevented  their  further  advance,  notwithstand- 
ing their  numerical  and  tactical  superiority. 
The  Hessians,  who  feared  an  attack  in  stronger 
force,  retired  from  Weinheim,  leaving  behind 
most  of  the  booty  which  they  had  collected, 
but  carrying  off  fifteen  prisoners,  including  a 
Baden  civil  commissioner,  and  one  hundred 
and  sixty-four  stand  of  small  arms,  taken  from 
the  inhabitants  of  Weinheim. 

As  a  result  of  this  excursion  of  the  Hes- 
sians and  Mecklenburgers,  Colonel  von  Beck, 
a  Baden  junker,  and  like  all  the  nobility,  even 
of  the  lesser  grade,  looked  on  with  suspicion, 
sank  lower  than  ever  in  the  estimation  of  his 


Repulse  of  the  Allies  189 

officers  and  men,  and  seeing  that  he  did  not 
possess  the  confidence  of  the  army,  resigned 
voluntarily,  having  held  the  command  only  a 
week,  and  ended  by  finally  going  over  to  the 
Prussians. 

In  the  meantime,  the  feeling  in  the  army 
had  undergone  a  complete  turn  in  favour  of 
Sigel.  Many  more  of  the  old  reactionary 
officers  had  left  their  commands  since  the 
disastrous  engagement  on  the  Berg  Strasse, 
and  the  new  officers  and  privates  greatly  ad- 
mired the  bravery  and  dash  of  the  young 
revolutionist. 

Sigel  had  been  back  with  the  army  since 
June  2d,  leaving  Captain  Meyerhofer,  as  his 
Deputy,  in  charge  of  the  War  Office  at  Carls- 
ruhe,  and  on  June  6th  took  up  the  active 
duties  of  the  command  temporarily  until  the 
arrival  of  Louis  Mieroslawski,  from  Paris, 
whom  the  State  Committee  had  designated  as 
the  permanent  Commander-in-Chief.  Sigel 
was  received  by  the  army  with  every  demon- 
stration of  joy,  particularly  by  the  artillery. 

On  the  evening  of  June  9th  Mieroslawski 
arrived  in  Carlsruhe  from  Paris,  accompanied 
by  a  number  of  Polish  officers. 

He  was  a  man  of  many  experiences,  a  Pole, 
born  at  Nemours,  France,  in  18 13,  his  father 


190    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

being  a  Polish  Colonel,  and  his  mother  a  French 
lady,  a  relative  of  Napoleon's  Marshal,  Davout. 
Educated  at  the  military  school  at  Kalisch  in 
Russian  Poland,  while  a  mere  boy  he  had  fought 
in  the  National  Army  as  a  lieutenant,  in  the 
Polish  Revolution  of  1830. 

He  had  led  the  Polish  uprising  in  Posen  in 
1 846,  and  was  captured  and  condemned  to  death 
by  Prussia.  The  King  hesitated  to  carry  the 
sentence  into  effect,  owing  to  the  strong  pre- 
judice existing  at  the  time  in  Prussia  in  favour 
of  the  Poles.  Mieroslawski  was  advised,  in 
order  to  save  his  life,  to  sue  the  King  for 
amnesty,  but  flatly  refused,  saying  he  expected 
to  be  beheaded.  Finally  he  was  sent  to  the 
Moabit  prison,  where  he  remained  until  the 
day  after  the  Berlin  uprising  of  March  18,  1848, 
when  he  was  pardoned  by  the  King,  moved 
thereto  by  the  events  of  that  bloody  day. 

His  freedom  was  greeted  by  the  populace 
of  Berlin  as  a  great  national  event,  and  his 
carriage  was  driven  in  triumph  through  the 
streets  of  the  city.  Since  that  time  he  had 
taken  part  in  another  uprising  in  Posen,  and 
had  just  returned  from  Sicily,  where  he  had 
been  the  military  commander  of  the  revolution 
in  that  country,  where  he  had  finally  been 
defeated    in    April,    and    severely    wounded, 


Repulse  of  the  Allies  191 

having  hardly  yet  entirely  recovered  from  his 
wound. 

At  this  time  and  ever  since  the  Polish  Revo- 
lution of  1830  there  was  a  universal  sympathy 
in  Germany  for  the  Poles  who  had  been  robbed 
of  their  nationality,  something  which  the  Ger- 
mans were  dreaming  of  attaining  for  them- 
selves. No  song  was  more  popular  than  Polen 
ist  noch  nicht  verloren,  and  the  Poles,  from 
their  experience  and  well-known  ability,  were 
made  leaders  in  every  revolutionary  move- 
ment that  took  place  in  Europe,  and  at  this 
very  time  Behm  and  Dembinski  were  doing  vali- 
ant service  for  Kossuth  and  Gorgey  in  Hungary- 

Mieroslawski  was  called  to  Baden  because 
he  was  a  trained  soldier,  and  most  popular 
with  the  German  democracy.  His  selection 
as  Commander-in-Chief  was  largely  the  result 
of  the  influence  of  Johann  Phillip  Becker,  who 
corresponded  with  him  immediately  after  his 
own  arrival  in  Carlsruhe,  when  the  State  Com- 
mittee was  looking  for  a  man  of  large  exper- 
ience, to  be  pitted  against  the  old  generals  of 
Prussia  in  the  expected  conflict.  On  May  28th 
the  State  Committee  had  definitely  asked 
Mieroslawski  to  assume  the  command,  and 
sent  him  the  necessary  funds  for  travelling  and 
other  expenses  to  bring  him  from  Paris. 


192    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

He  was  a  man  of  medium  height  and 
strongly  built,  with  a  slight  stoop.  His  blond, 
curly  hair  was  worn  long,  while  his  beard  was 
trimmed  rather  short.  His  face  and  voice 
were  pleasant.  His  blue  eyes  and  entire  bear- 
ing gave  him  the  appearance  of  a  man  of 
quickness,  determination,  and  keenness. 

When  he  came  to  Carlsruhe  he  was  at  once 
given  an  account  of  the  condition  of  affairs 
by  the  Provisional  government,  and  the  next 
day,  escorted  by  Minister  of  Justice  Peter, 
proceeded  to  Heidelberg  and  inspected  the 
troops  and  the  disposition  that  had  been 
made  of  the  various  commands.  He  was  pre- 
sented to  the  officers  by  Sigel  while  still  in 
civilian  dress,  and  made  an  address  in  French, 
not  speaking  German  fluently,  which  was 
translated  by  an  aid,  wherein  he  promised  to 
do  all  in  his  power  for  the  cause  of  freedom. 
He  then  introduced  Sigel,  whom  he  had  ap- 
pointed Colonel  and  Adjutant-General,  and 
through  whom,  he  stated,  all  commands  would 
be  given. 

On  June  12th,  the  Provisional  governments 
of  Baden  and  the  Palatinate,  in  a  joint  note 
signed  by  representatives  of  each,  defined 
Mieroslawski's  power,  making  him  the  virtual 
military  Dictator,  which  instrument  was  on  the 


Repulse  of  the  Allies  193 

15th  ratified  by  the  Constituent  Assembly  of 
Baden. 

Mieroslawski  took  up  his  residence  in  the 
Schloss  at  Mannheim,  where  he  made  his 
headquarters,  and  began  the  task  of  organis- 
ing into  a  homogeneous  whole  the  bodies  of 
men  he  found  collected  in  J;he  north  of  Baden. 
They  comprised  nearly  the  entire  fighting  force 
of  the  state,  about  twenty  thousand  men  in  all, 
and  consisted  of  ten  battalions  of  the  line, 
twenty-four  pieces  of  artillery  with  the  neces- 
sary horses,  ten  squadrons  of  cavalry,  and  two 
or  three  battalions  of  national  guards.  The 
rest  of  the  army  was  made  up  of  national 
guards  hastily  brought  together  in  the  last 
week  or  two,  not  uniformed,  and  knowing  as 
yet  little  or  nothing  of  military  life,  although 
filled  with  patriotism  and  high  hopes,  which 
sometimes  left  them  when  placed  on  the  weari- 
some outpost  duty. 

Most  of  the  national  guards  with  their 
ordinary  clothes,  wore  only  blouses  and  had 
neither  cloaks  nor  coats,  and  their  commanders 
could  scarcely  risk  allowing  them  to  bivouac. 
There  was  a  scarcity  of  cartridge  pouches  and 
ammunition,  and  many  of  the  guns  were  en- 
tirely useless.  Only  a  minority  of  the  volun- 
teers,   with    the    exception    of    the    superbly 


194    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

drilled  Hanau  Turners,  were  properly  in- 
structed. 

Many  did  not  even  understand  the  sim- 
plest guard  duty.  More  noticeable,  how- 
ever, than  all  these  evils,  was  the  lack  of 
discipline. 

In  addition  to  the  universal  causes  of  de- 
moralisation which  appeared  everywhere  — 
the  lack  of  properly  qualified  officers,  largely 
the  result  of  the  election  by  the  men  of  offi- 
cers from  their  own  ranks,  whose  only  recom- 
mendation was  that  they  were  popular  and 
could  talk  well  —  there  appeared  among  the 
volunteers  the  consciousness  that  they  had 
come  voluntarily  into  the  army  and  served 
without  pay  —  at  least  during  the  early  part  of 
the  war.  This  led  them  to  assume  a  privi- 
leged position  for  themselves.  Raised  in  trades' 
associations  and  at  people's  meetings,  they  be- 
lieved they  could  bring  into  the  army  the 
democratic  equality  which  had  there  become 
so  dear  to  them.  They  desired  to  be  con- 
sulted at  every  movement,  at  every  formation. 
It  would  have  suited  them  best,  if  every  mili- 
tary operation  had  been  first  voted  upon  as  at 
their  club. 

Taken  as  a  whole,  however,  the  troops 
were  fairly  well  armed  with  piston  guns,  but 


Repulse  of  the  Allies  195 

poorly  supplied  with  percussion  caps  for  their 
cartridges. 

They  were  concentrated  as  follows  along 
the  Neckar  :  The  centre  was  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Schriesheim  and  toward  Heidelberg; 
the  rieht  wingf  —  under  J.  P.  Becker,  who,  after 
leaving  Carlsruhe  on  June  6th,  had  at  once 
received  from  Sigel  command  of  a  division  of 
his  army,  consisting  of  national  guards  —  was 
placed  toward  Ebersbach  and  Neckargemund  ; 
the  left  wing  was  in  Mannheim,  with  a  van- 
guard at  Kaferthal.  Between  Mannheim, 
where  Lieutenant-Colonel  Mercy  commanded, 
and  Heidelberg,  where  Adjutant-General  Sigel 
was  in  authority,  a  strong  force  was  stationed 
to  protect  the  Ladenburg  bridge  and  town, 
while  the  ammunition  department  was  placed  at 
Schwetzingen. 

In  addition  Mieroslawski  had  under  his 
command  the  forces  across  the  Rhine  in  the 
Palatinate,  whose  immediate  commander  was 
General  Sznayda ;  these  consisted  of  the  un- 
organised 3nd  unarmed  national  guard,  whose 
only  weapons  were  scythes ;  and  the  free-corps 
of  Alexander  Schimmelpfennig,  of  Blenker, 
of  Zitz,  and  the  legion  which  Von  Willich  had 
formed  in  Besangon. 

The  new  commander  was  occupied  day  and 


196    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

night  appointing  officers  in  place  of  those  who 
had  deserted,  giving  many  of  the  posts  to  his 
countrymen,  there  being  no  native  Badeners 
of  sufficient  experience  available ;  inspecting 
troops,  selecting  positions,  posting  men  ;  now 
in  Mannheim,  or  across  the  Rhine  bridge  in 
Ludwigshafen,  or  in  Kaferthal,  and  again  in 
Heidelberg. 

Then,  one  afternoon,  he  had  the  muster-call 
beaten,  and  ordered  all  the  troops  stationed  at 
Mannheim  to  gather  on  the  drill  ground,  and 
parade,  putting  them  through  a  number  of 
evolutions  which  turned  out  better  than  was 
to  be  expected. 

The  preparations  of  General  Mieroslawski 
went  along  uninterruptedly,  except  for  a  small 
affair,  which  took  place  at  three  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  June  13th. 

At  Waldmichelbach,  a  village  in  the  Oden- 
wald  east  of  Heppenheim,  a  small  force  of 
national  guards  under  Becker  was  attacked  by 
a  detachment  of  Von  Peucker's  army,  consist- 
ing of  six  hundred  Mecklenburg  dragoons 
with  artillery,  under  command  of  Colonel  von 
Witzleben. 

The  Mecklenburgers  galloped  forward  with 
a  shout,  thinking  to  surprise  the  Badeners, 
who,    at    that    point,    consisted    only    of    the 


Repulse  of  the  Allies  197 

Carlsruhe  Rifle  Company  under  Captain  Heu- 
berger.  Meeting  with  more  resistance  than 
was  expected,  it  being  known  that  most  of  the 
Badeners  had  never  been  under  fire  before, 
the  Mecklenburgers  hesitated,  which  gave  Heu- 
berger  time  to  beat  an  orderly  retreat,  having, 
however,  ten  men  killed  and  eleven  taken  pris- 
oners, his  rear  being  courageously  defended  by 
a  non-commissioned  officer  and  a  few  Hunga- 
rians and  Swiss  who  had  seen  service. 

Hardly  had  Mieroslawski  commenced  defen- 
sive works  in  Mannheim  and  in  front  of 
Heidelberg,  made  the  necessary  preparations 
to  barricade  or  destroy  the  bridges  at  those 
cities  and  at  Ladenburg,  working  all  night  for 
the  purpose,  and  stationed  guards  along  the 
Rhine,  when  the  enemy  commenced  the 
fighting. 

The  Imperial  and  Prussian  Armies,  amount- 
ing in  all  to  nearly  sixty  thousand  men,  were 
approaching  from  the  north  in  three  great 
divisions.  A  Prussian  corps,  under  Lieuten- 
ant-General  von  Hirschfeld,  was  marching 
southward  without  opposition,  through  the 
Palatinate  by  way  of  Alzie,  Worms,  and  Frank- 
enthal,  toward  the  right  bank  of  the  Rhine, 
intending  to  cross  that  river  and  strike  the 
Badeners    in     the    flank.     Another    Prussian 


198    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

corps,  under  General  Count  von  der  Groeben, 
was  concentrating  at  Darmstadt  and  ready  to 
enter  the  Odenwald,  while  the  Imperial  Army, 
under  the  Prussian  General  von  Peucker,  had 
been  in  the  Odenwald  for  some  time.  The 
three  armies  were  under  the  chief  command 
of  the  detested  Prince  of  Prussia,  who  on 
June  1 2th,  with  Prince  Friedrich  Karl,  his 
nephew,  and  a  large  following  had  reached 
Mayence,  and  held  a  council  of  war  with  the 
three  generals,  when  it  was  decided  that  all 
the  divisions  were  to  advance  on  a  certain 
day. 

Von  Hirschfeld  was  to  cross  the  Rhine  at 
Germersheim,  Von  der  Groeben  to  push  for- 
ward along  the  Neckar,  and  Von  Peucker  to 
pass  over  that  river  at  Hirschhorn  and  press 
forward  to  Durlach,  all  were  then  to  close 
in  on  the  Baden  forces,  surround  them,  cap- 
ture the  entire  army,  and  end  the  war  at  one 
blow,  little  or  no  resistance  being  expected. 

The  plan,  however,  sadly  miscarried.  On 
the  morning  of  June  15th,  at  about  nine 
o'clock,  as  Mieroslawski  rode  out  of  Mann- 
heim, the  allies  began  their  attack  at  four 
separate  places,  the  points  being  Ludwigshafen, 
Kaferthal,  Ladenburg  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  Neckar,  a  few  hours  east  of  Mannheim, 


Repulse  of  the  Allies  199 

and  Schriesheim,  a  short  distance  east  of 
Ladenburg. 

Mieroslawski  appeared  everywhere  direct- 
ing the  fight,  surrounded  by  a  number  of  ad- 
jutants, and  while  at  Mannheim  in  an  exposed 
position  on  the  bank  of  the  Rhine  watching 
the  fight  being  made  against  Ludwigshafen, 
the  Prussians  saw  him,  and  aimed  a  cannon 
at  him,  which  was  so  well  directed  that  the 
canister  with  which  it  was  loaded,  fell  under 
the  horse  he  was  riding. 

That  day  he  appeared  for  the  first  time  in 
all  the  splendour  of  his  new  uniform.  He  wore 
large  general's  epaulets,  the  collar  of  his  blue 
military  overcoat  being  heavy  with  gold  embroi- 
dery, his  trousers  were  red,  his  kepi  trimmed 
with  gold  lace,  and  at  his  side  on  a  golden 
sword  belt  hung  a  light  sword. 

At  Ludwigshafen  the  fighting  was  begun 
by  the  troops  of  the  division  of  General  von 
fHanneken,  attached  to  Von  Hirschfeld's  corps. 
sThe  day  before  a  battalion  of  Prussian  in- 
fantry, a  large  detachment  of  hussars,  an  artil- 
lery brigade,  and  other  troops,  had  reached 
Frankenthal,  hardly  two  hours  distant  from 
Ludwigshafen,  where  the  Hungarian  Legion 
under  Colonel  Turr,  and  a  few  Baden  line 
soldiers  were  stationed.     The  Prussian  hussars 


200    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

were  in  the  lead,  and  at  first  fell  back  before 
the  Badeners.  Then  the  artillery  was  brought 
forward  and  the  Badeners  driven  into  Lud- 
wigshafen. 

The  Prussians  posted  themselves  beside 
and  in  the  rear  of  the  railway  station,  from 
which  the  next  morning  they  sent  skirmishers 
toward  the  city.  The  Badeners  now  hastily 
withdrew  over  the  bridge  crossing  the  Rhine 
to  Mannheim,  while  the  Prussians  took  posses- 
sion of  Ludwigshafen,  and  the  white  flags  that 
were  hastily  hung  out  by  the  residents,  could 
be  plainly  seen  from  Mannheim. 

In  the  middle  of  the  bridge  the  Badeners 
had  erected  a  strong  barricade  of  railroad  ties 
and  cotton  bales  from  the  neighbouring  ware- 
houses, from  behind  v^^hich  a  strong  fire  was 
opened  on  the  advancing  Prussians. 

In  the  meantime,  the  work  of  destroying 
the  bridge  had  been  commenced,  and  after 
two  spans  were  demolished,  the  Badeners 
withdrew  into   Mannheim. 

On  the  Mannheim  side  of  the  river  the 
Badeners  had  planted  a  row  of  cannon  also 
protected  by  cotton  bales.  The  artillery  was 
under  the  direction  of  Captain  Arnold  Stock, 
a  former  Swiss  student.  The  Prussians  took 
possession  of  the   Rhine  intrenchments  which 


Repulse  of  the  Allies  201 

the  Badeners  had  thrown  up  on  the  Ludwigs- 
hafen  side  of  the  river,  and  planted  their 
cannon  there. 

A  regular  duel  of  cannon  and  small-arm  fire 
was  now  carried  on  across  the  Rhine,  in  which 
the  Badeners  had  the  advantage,  the  Prussian 
artillery  suffering  severely.  The  firing  contin- 
ued uninterruptedly  until  evening,  and  many 
buildings  in  Ludwigshafen  were  set  on  fire. 
On  the  Baden  side  a  considerable  discharge  of 
musketry  came  from  the  Inn  to  t\\& Deutsckem 
Hatise,  upon  which  the  Prussians  concentrated 
their  fire,  soon  setting  it  in  flames.  In  Lud- 
wigshafen the  warehouse  ignited  early.  The 
flames  attacked  the  neighbouring  houses,  and 
at  eleven  o'clock  at  night  the  whole  town  ap- 
peared to  be  ablaze;  only  the  palatial  resi- 
dences on  the  Haupt  Strasse  were  saved. 
The  bridge  also  was  almost  entirely  destroyed. 
The  view  of  the  burning  city  was  magnificently 
beautiful.  The  Rhine  glowed  far  in  reflection 
of  the  flames,  and  both  banks  were  illuminated 
until  daylight. 

In  the  meantime,  the  fight  was  also  raging 
at  Kaferthal.  The  right  wing  of  General  von 
Peucker's  army,  under  General  Wachter,  con- 
sisting of  Hessian,  Wurtemberg,  and  Mecklen- 
burg troops,  four   thousand  in    all,  advanced 


202    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

from  Birnheim  across  the  Hessian  frontier  to 
Kaferthal.  They  approached  in  a  strong 
column  of  infantry  and  cavalry,  with  artillery, 
through  the  woods  back  of  Kaferthal,  and 
began  the  attack. 

The  Baden  troops,  who  were  commanded 
by  the  Pole,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Tobian,  con- 
sisted of  some  companies  of  the  4th  Regiment, 
dragoons,  and  national  guards,  in  all  about 
three  thousand  men,  a  force  much  inferior  to 
that  of  the  allies.  They  had  hastily  thrown 
up  intrenchments,  which  they  defended  stub- 
bornly until  noon,  when  they  slowly  withdrew 
from  the  village. 

The  Hessian  light  horse  pursued  the  re- 
treating Badeners,  and  had  almost  captured  a 
battery,  as  the  Baden  infantry,  now  reinforced 
from  Mannheim,  deployed  against  them,  Col- 
onel Tobian  riding  ahead.  The  Badeners 
were  enthusiastic.  Their  commander  had  just 
made  them  a  speech.  He  had  wittily  said  : 
**  Soldiers,  we  will  be  polite  and  repay  their 
visit.  They  came  to  us  for  breakfast ;  we  will 
take  dinner  with  them.  Forward  ! "  and  a  tre- 
mendous hurrah  was  the  answer,  as  the  move- 
ment began. 

A  spirited  fight  ensued,  and  the  Hessians 
were  forced  back  in  disorder  through  Kafer- 


Repulse  of  the  Allies  203 

thai  to  the  edge  of  the  wood  whence  they 
had  come.  The  victory  was,  however,  dearly 
bought,  the  brave  commander  of  the  Badeners 
being  shot  through  the  mouth,  and  at  the  time 
was  thought  to  be  mortally  wounded,  but  he 
remained  on  his  horse  directing  the  fight  by 
wavine  his  hand  until,  faint  from  the  loss  of 
blood,  he  gave  up  the  command  to  Captain 
Zurkowski,  one  of  Mieroslawski's  aids,  who 
commanded  until  the  arrival  of  the  grey-haired 
Polish  Colonel,  Oborski. 

While  not  more  important  than  the  fighting 
at  Mannheim,  Ludwigshafen,  and  Kaferthal, 
the  battle  at  Ladenburg  and  Schriesheim  was 
far  more  bloody. 

The  Mecklenburg  brigade,  a  part  of  the 
centre  of  Von  Peucker's  army,  under  Colonel 
von  Witzleben,  had  started  before  daylight 
from  Fiirth  to  Weinheim,  and  been  ordered  on 
its  arrival  there  to  follow  the  Badeners  as  far 
as  possible.  An  hour's  distance  from  Wein- 
heim in  the  direction  of  Heidelberg  lies  the 
village  of  Groszsachsen  ;  in  a  straight  line  with 
it  is  Ladenburg.  Groszsachsen  was  occupied 
by  the  Mecklenburgers.  Here  a  small  detach- 
ment was  left  as  a  corps  of  observation,  and 
with  the  remaining  portion  of  this  brigade, 
Von   Witzleben   marched  hastily  against  the 


204    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Badeners  at  Ladenburg,  where  Colonel  Thome 
commanded  with  a  small   force,  on   the  way 
making  a  feint  at  Schriesheim.     With  a  Meck- 
lenburg battalion,  a  Hessian  rifle  company,  a 
squadron  of  cavalry,  and  a  battery.  Von  Witz- 
leben  soon  took  the  town,  and  at  five  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  had  possession  of  the  railway 
station,  and  attacked  the  intrenchments  thrown 
up  along  the  dikes  built  to  protect  the  country 
from  the  overflow  of  the  Neckar.     The  com- 
mander of  the  Baden  troops,  had  selected  a 
formidable  position  ;  in  addition  to  the  dikes, 
he  had  the  protection  of  a  strong  barricade 
erected   on   the   railway  bridge  spanning  the 
river  at  this  point. 

Behind  these  works  the  Badeners  had 
planted  their  cannon,  with  which  they  could 
sweep  the  entire  railway  tracks.  When  the 
fight  began,  a  detachment  of  the  4th  Regi- 
ment stationed  at  Neckarhausen  on  the  south 
bank  of  the  river,  a  few  minutes'  walk  from 
Ladenburg,  hurried  to  the  bridge.  Here  the 
hardest  fighting  occurred  and  the  Mecklenburg 
cannon  did  the  most  execution. 

At  the  entrance  to  the  bridge  the  Badeners 
had  four  cannon  of  heavy  calibre  whose  fire 
was  most  galling,  and  the  enemy  was  thrown 
back  out  of  Ladenburg  with  great  loss.     Since 


Repulse  of  the  Allies  205 

early  morning,  nearly  all  the  fighting  had  been 
done  by  the  artillery  and  cavalry.  Toward 
evening,  the  infantry  on  both  sides  also  went 
into  action,  and  the  fighting  raged  all  the  way 
from  Ladenburg  to  Schriesheim.  Here  Theo- 
dore Mogling,  now  a  Captain  on  Mieroslawski's 
staff,  was  stationed  with  the  Carlsruhe  battalion 
of  the  national  guard,  two  companies  of  the 
Bodyguard  Regiment,  a  squadron  of  cavalry 
and  two  cannon.  With  this  force,  Mogling 
now  hurried  to  the  Neckar  and  attacked  Von 
Witzleben  on  the  left  flank ;  and  Thome's  men 
having  crossed  the  river,  the  enemy,  engaged 
in  front  and  flank,  was  compelled  to  evacuate 
the  railway  buildings  and  the  Neckar  dikes, 
and  retreat  with  heavy  loss.  Six  times  the 
Hessians  attacked,  and  six  times  they  were 
repulsed,  and  then  retreated  to  Heddesheim, 
where  they  bivouacked  for  the  night  in  the 
streets. 

Many  were  killed  and  wounded  on  both 
sides.  The  Mecklenburgers  had  from  fifty  to 
seventy  killed,  including  Colonel  Roggenbach, 
formerly  a  Baden  ol^cer,  and  Captain  von 
Schreeb.  Their  wounded  and  missing  were 
numerous,  and  among  their  other  losses  was 
Major  Hindersinn,  chief  of  the  Prussian  gene- 
ral staff,  who  was  taken  prisoner  as  he  was 


2o6    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

descending  from  the  steeple  of  the  Ladenburg 
church,  where  he  had  been  making  a  recon- 
noissance.  Other  men  that  they  lost  to  the 
Badeners  were  Captain  von  Klein  and  Captain 
von  Huth.  The  Badeners  also  lost  a  large 
number  in  killed  and  wounded,  and  after  the 
battle  the  hospitals  at  Heidelberg  and  Mann- 
heim contained,  as  a  result,  from  one  hundred 
and  fifty  to  two  hundred  wounded,  more  than 
half,  however,  belonging  to  the  enemy. 

While  the  greater  part  of  the  Baden  army 
was  thus  occupied,  the  faithful  Hanau  Turners 
finally  marched  out  of  the  gates  of  the  Schloss 
at  Hirschhorn,  which  they  had  occupied  and 
held  against  two  thousand  of  the  enemy. 

On  June  14th,  these  two  thousand  men  — 
Bavarians,  Hessians,  and  Mecklenburgers  with 
artillery  —  from  the  left  wing  of  the  Imperial 
Army,  had  left  Erba^h  and  Furth  by  way  of 
Beerfelden  toward  Hirschhorn  under  command 
of  Colonel  Weiss,  to  take  part  in  the  general 
advance  contemplated  against  the  Badeners. 
The  first  division  went  over  the  Rothenberg 
Heights,  and  the  other  along  the  chaussee,  or 
paved  road.  The  Baden  volunteers  posted 
along  the  route,  withdrew  slowly  before  them, 
and  they  soon  had  possession  of  the  first 
houses  in  the  town.     The  Schloss  was  strongly 


Repulse  of  the  Allies  207 

held  by  the  Hanau  Turners,  as  was  also  the 
Hirschhorn  mill. 

It  was  the  first  time  this  youthful  band  of 
enthusiasts  had  been  under  fire.  The  Bavari- 
ans, who  formed  the  van  of  the  Imperial  troops, 
were  allowed  to  advance  quietly  to  the  bridge, 
when,  with  a  hurrah,  the  Badeners  commenced 
firing.  The  first  shot  struck  a  lieutenant,  and 
lively  firing  ensued  from  both  sides.  The  Meck- 
lenburg artillery  was  now  placed  opposite  the 
entrance  to  the  town,  and  began  firing  into  the 
mill,  which  was  soon  in  flames,  and  the  miller, 
who  attempted  to  fly,  was  shot  down  by  the 
Bavarians  in  front  of  his  house.  At  ten  o'clock 
in  the  evening  they  finally  took  the  town. 
The  Turners  who  retained  possession  of  the 
high-lying  Schloss  kindled  a  great  fire  in 
the  tower,  as  a  signal  to  the  volunteers  in  the 
neighbouring  villages  to  come  to  their  as- 
sistance. 

Becker,  the  commander  of  all  the  troops  in 
the  district,  saw  the  spectacle  as  the  flames 
burst  out  of  the  bow  windows,  and  ordered 
three  hundred  men  of  the  Swiss  Legion  to 
go  from  Schonau  to  help  them.  Colonel 
Boning  and  Major  Delatour  directed  the 
column  to  march  in  double-quick  order,  and 
in  a  few  minutes   the   enemy  was   retreating 


2o8    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

before  them,  and  the  Legion  was  on  the  Mar- 
ket-Place  of  Hirschhorn. 

The  next  morning  the  Turners  retired  from 
the  Schloss  and  town,  their  force  being  too 
small  to  hold  the  place  for  a  long  period 
against  such  great  odds. 

When  Mieroslawski  was  told  of  the  final 
evacuation  of  the  Hirschhorn  Schloss,  he 
laughingly  exclaimed :  ''Ah,  voila  les  beaux 
tourneurs  de  Hanau  qui  totirnent  le  dos  a 
rennemi  f' 

Colonel  Tobian's  army,  now  under  com- 
mand of  Colonel  Oborski,  after  the  battle  of 
Kaferthal,  bivouacked  on  the  field,  and  at 
midnight  took  up  the  march  east  through 
Waldstadt  to  Heddesheim,  for  the  purpose 
of  joining  forces  with  Mieroslawski  at  Leu- 
tershausen.  During  the  night  Mieroslawski, 
with  his  general  staff,  had  gone  to  Heidel- 
berg, and  with  Sigel's  division,  which  was 
stationed  there,  started  early  in  the  morning, 
and  marched  rapidly  to  Leutershausen  by  way 
of  Schriesheim,  arriving  there  at  the  same 
time  that  Oborski's  column  came  up  on  the 
other  side  of  the  village.  The  united  forces 
quickly  advanced  to  Groszsachsen,  and  forced 
Von  Peucker  out  of  the  village,  where,  in 
his  haste,   he  left  many  dead,   wounded  and 


Repulse  of  the  Allies  209 

prisoners.  Soon  Colonel  von  Weitershausen 
appeared  with  his  brigade  and  reinforced  Von 
Peucker,  who  turned,  and  again  advanced  to 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  place  where  the 
fighting  had  commenced. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  Heddesheim,  Col- 
onel von  Witzleben  had  observed  the  begin- 
ning of  the  fight,  and  by  a  rapid  movement 
now  struck  the  Badeners  in  the  left  flank 
and  rear,  with  infantry,  cavalry,  and  can- 
non. Von  Weitershausen  also  advanced,  and 
the  Badeners  left  Groszsachsen  and  with- 
drew toward  Schriesheim.  Simultaneously 
the  forces  of  Von  Witzleben  and  Von  Weiters- 
hausen arrived  from  opposite  directions  in 
Groszsachsen  and  fired,  each  taking  the  other 
for  the  enemy. 

The  Badeners  again  advanced,  and  took  up 
a  new  position  at  Leutershausen,  where  the 
explosion  of  one  of  their  ammunition  waggons 
threw  them  into  momentary  confusion.  At 
eleven  o'clock,  however.  Colonel  Beckert,  an 
old  Baden  officer,  who,  a  few  days  later,  was  to 
turn  traitor  to  his  country,  arrived  with  his 
division  from  Ladenburg,  and  attacked  the 
enemy  furiously  from  the  railway  embank- 
ment.    Colonel  von  Weitershausen  attempted 

to  meet  this  new  force  by  planting  two  cannon 
14 


2IO    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

in  his  front,  but  was  greeted  with  such  a  hail  of 
canister  that  his  artillery  horses  were  soon  shot 
down  ;  at  the  same  instant  the  hostile  skirmish 
line  was  pushed  forward  on  the  men  support- 
ing the  battery,  and  the  firing  became  so  hot 
that  the  men  fled  across  the  chaussee,  and 
turned  to  the  right  into  the  vineyards,  leaving 
the  cannon  in  the  hands  of  the  Badeners. 

In  the  vineyards,  Von  Weitershausen  col- 
lected his  scattered  troops  and  brought  them 
back  to  the  chaussee,  where  Von  Witzleben's 
forces  joined  him,  and  a  combined  attack  was 
made  on  the  Badeners,  the  only  result  being 
that  the  two  cannon  were  recovered,  when  the 
whole  force  quickly  retired,  and  did  not  stop 
until  Weinheim  was  reached. 

The  losses  on  the  Imperial  side  were  ten 
killed,  one  hundred  and  ten  wounded,  and 
forty-six  missing,  while  the  Badeners  also  lost 
considerably. 

So  ended  at  noon  the  two  days'  fighting,  al- 
though the  cannonade  between  Ludwigshafen 
and  Mannheim  was  kept  up  until  the  next  day, 
when  the  Prussians  left,  and  an  immense  blue 
and  white  Bavarian  flag  waved  from  the  roof  of 
one  of  the  highest  houses,  in  place  of  the  black 
and  white  flag  of  Prussia. 

Great  enthusiasm  was  created  in  the  Baden 


Repulse  of  the  Allies  211 

army  by  the  result  of  the  skirmishes.  The  sol- 
diers had  confidence  in  their  new  commander. 
Their  revolutionary  hordes  had  whipped  the 
highly  disciplined  armies  of  Germany.  Their 
leader  was  indefatigable,  and  worked  harder 
than  any  of  his  men.  His  daring  and  the  ra- 
pidity of  his  movements  were  Napoleonic  in 
their  brilliancy. 

To  the  reactionary  element,  which  had 
begun  to  grow  bold  as  the  foreign  troops 
approached,  Mieroslawski  spoke  in  words  of 
no  uncertain  meaning. 

Many  of  the  bourgeoisie  of  Mannheim  had 
hardly  thought  of  the  possibility  of  the  Ba- 
deners  being  victorious,  and  after  the  troops 
left,  on  the  morning  of  the  day  the  battles 
were  raging  all  around  the  city,  the  Municipal 
Council  had  ordered  the  burgher-guard  to 
drive  away  the  workmen  whom  Mieroslawski 
had  set  to  undermine  the  new  suspension  bridge 
crossing  the  Neckar,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
take  possession  of  all  the  public  buildings. 

When  Mieroslawski  returned  from  Kafer- 
thal  in  the  evening,  he  at  once  placed  the  city 
in  a  state  of  siege,  declared  martial  law,  and 
finished  the  work  which  had  been  interrupted 
during  the  day.  He  commanded  the  reac- 
tionary Councilmen  to  come  to  the  bridge,  and 


212    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

made  them  a  speech  in  French,  which  Frei- 
herr  von  Trutschler  translated  into  German. 

He  told  them  of  the  day's  victories;  said 
he  had  given  Freiherr  von  Trutschler,  the 
civil  commissioner,  absolute  authority,  and  in 
conclusion  declared  that  should  the  city  be 
lost  through  treachery,  and  he  find  it  necessary 
to  leave,  he  would  first  set  it  on  fire,  and  the 
guilty  ones  would  be  beheaded,  even  if  they 
numbered  six  hundred. 

The  thinking  people  began  to  take  heart, 
notwithstanding  the  enormous  odds  on  the 
side  of  the  allies.  The  newspapers  spoke  joy- 
ously, and  in  big  headlines  told  of  "  the  vic- 
tory of  our  men  at  all  points  under  the  chief 
command  of  General  Mieroslawski." 

There  was  now  a  universal  belief  in  the  justice 
of  the  cause.  A  common  soldier  was  heard  to 
say  :  "  At  Kaferthal  it  seemed  as  if  our  Lord 
God  was  passing  before  us  ;  we  stood  close  be- 
fore the  enemy's  cannon,  but  the  balls  all  fell 
down  in  front  of  us,  only  one  cannoneer  was  hit." 

It  was  even  reported  that  the  prisoners 
taken  had  said  that  they  only  fought  against 
Baden  because  compelled  to  do  so,  and  if 
another  victory  were  gained  their  comrades 
would  come  over  in  a  body. 

On  the  night  of  the   i6th,   Mannheim  and 


Repulse  of  the  Allies  213 

Heidelberg,  by  direction  of  Mieroslawski,  were 
illuminated  in  honor  of  the  victories.  The 
illumination  in  Mannheim  was  done  reluc- 
tantly and  through  fear  of  the  consequences 
of  refusal,  but  in  Heidelberg  this  was  not  the 
case.  Here,  where  twelve  thousand  of  the 
troops  who  had  done  the  fighting  had  just 
entered  the  city  with  fresh  oak  leaves  on  their 
helmets  and  hats,  the  enthusiasm  was  real  and 
intense.  Songs  and  music  resounded  through 
all  the  streets,  and  from  every  house,  and  the 
thousand  lights  which  flickered  and  flared  from 
the  Neckar  to  the  old  ruined  Schloss  on  the 
hillside,  where  only  a  torch  or  two  could  be 
seen,  gave  a  most  impressive  appearance  to  the 
old  university  town.  All  night  long  the  lights 
were  burning,  and  for  the  benefit  of  the  vic- 
torious troops  the  taverns  were  ordered  to  be 
kept  open  until  midnight. 

Mieroslawski  himself,  in  his  report  to  the 
government,  spoke  of  the  events  of  the  two 
days  as  "crowned  with  the  most  brilliant  re- 
sults," and  gave  especial  praise  to  his  Adjutant- 
General,  Sigel,  to  Colonel  Tobian,  Colonel 
Thome,  Colonel  Oborski,  Captain  Mogling, 
and  the  artillery. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

BATTLE  OF  WAGHAUSEL  AND  THE  RETREAT 

OF  MIEROSLAWSKI— EVACUATION  OF 

CARLSRUHE. 

MIEROSLAWSKI  occupied  himself  the 
next  few  days  in  better  organising  his 
army,  and  as  early  as  the  i8th  had  divided  it 
into  six  divisions  of  about  four  thousand  men 
each,  which  included  the  national  guard  and 
the  Palatines,  who  had  just  crossed  the  Rhine 
and  come  into  Baden. 

Up  to  this  time  the  troops  had  not  been 
handled  according  to  any  preconceived  plan, 
and  no  one  knew  with  certainty  to  whom  the 
orders  of  the  general  staff  were  to  be  directed, 
or  what  strength  the  different  corps  had,  or 
even  where  they  could  be  found,  as  each  offi- 
cer or  leader  of  the  national  guard  stationed 
his  men  according  to  his  own  ideas,  or  the  men 
themselves  suggested  how  and  where  they 
should  be  disposed. 

The  General-in-Chief  now  directed  the  army 
from  Heidelberg.    He  gave  strict  orders  about 

214 


The  Battle  of  Waghausel         215 

deserting-,  which  had  become  common,  cared 
for  the  proper  provisioning  of  the  different 
commands,  and  laid  down  a  particular  plan  for 
the  employment  of  the  soldiers  on  rest  days. 
The  division  commanders  were  instructed  to 
call  their  troops  together  at  least  once  a  day, 
so  that  at  the  first  drum-beat  they  would  come 
to  arms  and  stand  in  marchingf  order.  He 
also  sent  an  urgent  request  to  Carlsruhe  for 
tents,  physicians  and  surgeons,  and  horses,  of 
all  which  he  was  in  sore  need. 

He  sat  at  Heidelberg  like  an  eagle  perched 
on  his  eyrie,  watching  the  foe,  ready  to  swoop 
down  on  him  from  whatever  direction  he  might 
come.  Von  Peucker  had  been  cowed  by  his 
whipping,  and  Von  der  Groeben  was  not  ex- 
pected for  several  days,  so  the  immediate 
danger  was  anticipated  to  come  from  Von 
Hirschfeld. 

The  Prussians  made  their  first  move  on  June 
20th.  Major  Mnieski,  the  Pole,  was  stationed 
at  Philipsburg,  a  place  about  midway  between 
where  the  bridge  crosses  the  Rhine  from  Ger- 
mersheim  to  Reinsheim  and  the  bridge  crossing 
the  Rhine  from  Speyer  to  the  Baden  side,  and 
had  been  ordered  to  observe  the  Prussians  and 
attack  them,  whether  they  crossed  at  Germers- 
heim  or  Speyer. 


2i6    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

J.  P.  Becker  was  at  Heidelberg,  and  from 
there  was  to  protect  the  Neckar  as  far  as 
H  irschhorn,  and  make  scouting  expeditions  into 
the  Odenwald,  while  Colonel  Beckert  was  to 
go  to  Weisenthal  by  way  of  Schwetzingen  to 
act  as  a  reserve  for  the  division  of  Mnieski. 
Only  a  small  detachment  was  left  at  the  Laden- 
burg  bridge,  whose  duty  it  was,  in  a  last  ex- 
tremity, to  destroy  that  structure.  The  rest  of 
the  army  was  kept  ready  to  march  on  the  first 
signal. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  this  day  the  blow 
came.  In  the  darkness,  at  three  o'clock,  the 
entire  corps  of  Von  Hirschfeld,  consisting  of 
two  divisions,  each  of  almost  ten  thousand 
men,  the  one  under  General  von  Hanneken, 
the  other  under  General  von  Brun,  made  up 
of  infantry,  a  division  of  cavalry,  and  five  bat- 
teries, crossed  the  bridge  at  Germersheim, 
meeting  with  no  opposition  at  Reinsheim,  that 
end  of  the  bridge  being  barricaded,  but  not 
guarded.  The  division  of  V^on  Brun  hastened 
toward  Bruchsal  in  order  to  cut  off  Mieros- 
lawski  from  the  capital,  while  Von  Hanneken's 
division,  with  the  greater  part  of  the  cavalry, 
marched  to  Philipsburg. 

At  five  o'clock  Von  Hanneken  reached  his 
destination,  and  Mnieski,  who  was  said  to  have 


The  Battle  of  Waghausel         2 1 7 

been  intoxicated,  completely  taken  by  surprise, 
hastily  evacuated  the  town,  leaving  all  his 
baggage  behind,  and  retreated  in  the  direction 
of  Carlsruhe,  instead  of  going  north  to  join 
Mieroslawski,  as  he  had  been  directed  to  do. 
His  soldiers  accused  him  of  treason,  arrested 
him  and  took  him  alonof  on  the  retreat  as  a 
prisoner.  The  jubilant  Prussians  now  com- 
menced the  pursuit.  The  retreating  Badeners 
were  kept  well  together  by  Lieutenant-Colonel 
von  Biedenfeld,  and  when  a  squadron  of  the 
Prussian  Black  Hussars  came  up  near  Weisen- 
thal,  where  a  company  of  Von  Biedenfeld's  regi- 
ment was  protecting  the  Baden  rear,  they  met 
with  a  warm  reception  from  the  men  lying  down 
on  both  sides  of  the  road,  and  from  the  troops 
who  barred  the  passage  in  front.  Like  lions, 
the  Prussians  rushed  on,  with  cries  and  oaths ; 
their  sabers  bounded  from  the  shakos  of  the 
standing  soldiers,  while  many  a  Prussian  saddle 
was  emptied  by  the  men  lying  down.  An  offi- 
cer in  the  front  rank  was  crying,  "  Surrender, 
you  dogs."  He  was  recognised  as  Lieutenant 
von  Goler,  a  former  Baden  officer,  and  instantly 
a  dozen  gfuns  were  fired  at  him,  and  he  fell 
dead  from  his  horse.  The  fight  lasted  only  a 
short  time,  when  the  few  remaining  Prussians 
retreated,    leaving   their    dead    and   wounded 


2i8    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

behind,  among  the  dead  being,  in  addition  to 
Von  Goler,  Captain  Degenfeld,  also  a  former 
Baden  officer,  and  four  hussars.  The  Ba- 
deners  had  no  dead,  and  only  a  small  number 
wounded  by  the  saber-strokes  of  the  enemy. 

Among  the  wounded  Prussians  was  the 
young  Prince  Friedrich  Karl,  who  received 
a  bullet  in  the  arm. 

During  the  day,  Mieroslawski  was  informed 
in  Heidelberg  of  these  events,  and  instantly 
gave  orders  to  advance  upon  the  foe.  In  the 
evening  his  force  marched  in  two  columns  to- 
ward the  Kraichbach,  a  brook  which  flows 
northwesterly  across  the  entire  width  of  Ba- 
den, and  from  Ubstadt  to  Altlussheim,  where 
it  empties  into  the  Rhine,  forms  almost  a 
straip'ht  line.  The  first  column  under  Colonel 
Beckert  went  by  way  of  Schwetzingen  and  the 
other  under  Oborski  through  Weisloch,  part 
of  this  division  going  by  rail  to  Waldorf, 
from  where,  during  the  night,  Oborski 
went  to  Railingen,  and  in  the  morning 
united  with  Beckert  at  the  bridge  crossing 
the  Kraichbach  at  Neulussheim.  The  whole 
force  consisted  of  between  ten  thousand  and 
eleven  thousand  men,  made  up  of  eight  battal- 
ions of  the  line,  eight  battalions  of  the 
national  guard  not  having  a  full  complement 


The  Battle  of  Waghausei         219 

of  men,  ten  squadrons  of  dragoons,  and  twenty 
cannon.  For  the  season,  the  night  was  cold, 
but  the  whole  army  bivouacked. 

On  the  morning  of  the  21st,  the  Prussian 
advance  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Nolte  was 
at  Altlussheim,  between  Hockenheim  and 
Waghausei,  the  chief  corps  at  Waghausei,  and 
the  reserves  at  Philipsburg. 

At  break  of  day  Mieroslawski  had  his  entire 
force  just  beyond  Neulussheim,  on  one  side  of 
Altlussheim,  situated  at  the  entrance  to  the 
woods  of  Waghausei.  Here  he  surprised  the 
Prussian  skirmishers  who  were  about  to  enter 
the  road  leading  to  Mannheim,  followed  by  the 
entire  Prussian  division.  The  skirmishers  were 
rapidly  driven  back.  The  left  wing  of  the 
Baden  army  under  Sigel  pushed  determinedly 
through  the  woods,  driving  the  enemy  before 
them,  their  advance  being  masked  by  the  fire 
of  all  the  cannon  which  had  been  placed  ob- 
liquely across  the  main  highway,  whereby  they 
were  enabled  to  proceed  south  of  Waghausei 
to  the  road  which  leads  from  Bruchsal  to 
Weisenthal,  which  last  place  they  finally 
occupied. 

At  the  same  time  Oborski,  who  commanded 
the  right  wing,  was  ordered  by  Mieroslawski 
to  hurry  forward  and  take  Waghausei.    Rapidly 


2  20    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

the  troops  moved  along  the  highway  and 
reached  the  elevation  on  which  Waghausel  is 
located;  the  Prussians  in  the  meantime  had 
taken  possession  of  the  few  buildings  that  com- 
posed the  village  ;  and  from  the  large  Sugar 
Mill,  Post  House,  and  Church,  poured  out  a 
heavy  fire  of  small  arms,  while  their  artillery 
also  did  considerable  damage  from  several  pro- 
tected positions. 

At  nine  o'clock,  the  rest  of  the  Prussian 
division  arrived  to  reinforce  the  men  already 
engaged.  Six  more  cannon  were  brought  into 
action  and  planted,  first  at  the  point  where  the 
roads  from  Oberhausen  and  Weisenthal  cross, 
then  to  the  right  of  the  Post  House.  The 
Prussian  sharpshooters  attempted  to  advance 
from  the  Post  House,  but  every  effort  was 
frustrated.  As  they  could  not  get  away 
from  the  Post  House,  they  made  an  attempt 
to  rush  from  the  Sugar  Mill  and  Church  to  the 
wood  which  extends  from  the  Mannheim 
Strasse  toward  Weisenthal.  A  detachment 
even  reached  the  edge  of  the  wood,  but  was 
quickly  thrown  back.  Another  detail  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  in.  The  Badeners  fired 
canister,  a  column  of  infantry  attacked  them 
and  they  were  compelled  to  turn  back  rapidly. 
The  entire  Prussian  division  now  beat  a  retreat. 


The  Battle  of  Waehausel         221 


&' 


Waghausel  was  deserted  and  the  whole  force 
fled  toward  Philipsburg. 

At  one  o'clock,  MieroslawskI  directed  his 
troops  to  take  a  rest,  having  marched,  bivou- 
acked and  fought  uninterruptedly  since  the 
day  before.  After  an  hour's  recuperation, 
Oborski  advanced  to  Philipsburg  in  pursuit 
of  the  Prussians,  who  in  their  retreat  had  left 
six  of  their  cannon  sticking  fast  in  the  marsh. 
His  cannon  commenced  firing  on  the  boats 
which  came  from  the  far  bank  of  the  Rhine  to 
carry  the  fleeing  Prussians  across  the  river. 

In  the  meantime  Major  General  von  Brun, 
who  had  either  heard  the  firing  or  had  been 
sent  for,  arrived  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Weisenthal  from  the  direction  of  Bruchsal  by 
way  of  Hambriicken,  with  the  greater  part  of 
his  division. 

At  Weisenthal,  Sigel  still  remained  with  the 
left  wing  of  the  Baden  army,  and  on  the  ap- 
proach of  Von  Brun,  withdrew  from  the  vil- 
lage, and  formed  a  hollow  square  in  order  the 
better  to  withstand  the  attack  of  the  enemy's 
numerous  cavalry. 

The  Prussian  infantry  attempted  to  take 
the  village.  Their  artillery,  which  consisted 
of  six  cannon,  was  firing  continuously  from  a 
well-protected  position,  and  doing  considerable 


222    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

damage  to  the  Badeners.  Sigel's  cannon  had 
now  become  red-hot  and  useless  after  sev- 
eral hours  constant  firing,  and  he  notified 
Mieroslawski  of  his  perilous  position,  and 
asked  him  to  make  a  movement  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Saalbach,  the  rivulet  west  of 
Weisenthal,  in  order  to  force  the  enemy,  who 
had  now  surrounded  that  village  in  a  wide 
circle,  to  retreat. 

At  the  first  news  of  the  approach  of  Von 
Brun,  Mieroslawski  had  sent  almost  all  his 
cavalry,  having  united  nine  squadrons  into  one 
body,  to  Weisenthal,  and  when  he  received 
Sigel's  request,  quickly  sent  word  to  Beckert, 
the  commander  of  the  cavalry,  to  make  the 
move  asked  for  by  Sigel,  and  prevent  any 
union  of  the  two   Prussian  army  corps. 

At  about  five  o'clock,  just  as  Mieroslawski 
and  Sigel  were  consulting  about  the  further 
movements  of  the  troops,  they  were  astonished 
to  see  that  the  centre  of  the  army  had  sud- 
denly stopped  firing. 

The  change  in  the  action  of  the  centre  was 
occasioned  by  the  cavalry,  which  had  not  yet 
been  really  in  the  fight,  the  same  cavalry  which 
had  shown  the  white  feather  from  the  time  of 
the  fight  on  the  Berg  Strasse. 

Colonel  Beckert,  their  commander,  who  had 


The  Battle  of  Waghausel         223 

been  a  retired  cavalry  captain  of  the  old  re- 
gime, had  ordered  his  buglers  to  blow  the 
"  Right  about  face,"  and  the  whole  force  gal- 
loped from  the  battlefield. 

In  their  wild  flight  they  bore  with  them 
rank  after  rank  of  the  green  national  guard, 
and  the  splendid  artillery  as  well ;  and  soon  in 
mad  panic  the  whole  army,  with  cannon,  am- 
munition and  provision  waggons,  was  flying  in 
the  wildest  confusion  to  Waghausel. 

Thus  ended  in  disaster  what  had  been  at 
first  a  brilliant  triumph.  Mieroslawski  called 
it  "  the  most  shameless  treachery  that  was 
ever  carried  out  after  a  victory." 

The  battlefield  was  covered  with  scores  of 
dead  and  wounded,  Prussians  as  well  as  Ba- 
deners.  The  best  known  among-  the  killed  on 
the  Baden  side  was  young  G.  A.  Schloeffel,  the 
twenty-year-old  son  of  F.  W.  Schloeffel,  the 
member  of  the  National  Assembly,  who  was 
serving  Baden  as  civil  commissioner.  This 
boy,  whom  his  enemies  called  an  "  honest  fa- 
natic," had  been  sentenced  to  prison  by  dif- 
ferent Prussian  judges  for  his  republican 
views.  Escaping,  he  had  fought  for  free- 
dom in  Hungary.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
trouble  in  Baden,  he  was  at  Bruchsal,  and  had 
helped  set  free  Struve   Blind,  and  others.     At 


2  24    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Waghausel  he  fell  while  encouraging  the 
troops  to  take  by  storm  a  strong  Prussian 
position. 

Among  the  severely  wounded  was  Theo- 
dore Mogling,  who  fell  only  a  short  distance 
from  Schloeffel,  receiving  a  bullet  in  his  leg 
which  afterward  necessitated  the  amputation 
of  that  member  in  Heidelberof. 

The  losses  of  the  Prussians  were  twenty- 
four  killed  and  two  hundred  wounded,  while 
the  loss  on  the  Baden  side  was  never  defin- 
itely known. 

Mieroslawski,  in  his  bulletin  of  the  battle, 
manfully  confessed  that  the  situation  was  now 
in  the  highest  degree  critical,  and  added,  "  But 
as  long  as  I  have  the  cool-headed  young  hero 
Sigel  at  my  side,  I  will  despair  of  nothing." 

The  high  hopes  of  the  revolutionary  army 
were  now  shattered.  The  common  soldiers, 
as  well  as  the  officers,  knew  they  were  sur- 
rounded on  all  sides  by  overwhelming  forces 
of  efficient  soldiery.  The  fear  of  capture  and 
execution,  imprisonment  or  exile,  was  before 
them.  Dejection  was  on  every  face.  Every 
noise  heard  was  now  an  approaching  army  in 
the  minds  of  the  discouragfed  revolutionists. 
The  foe  was  thought  to  be  on  their  heels. 
The  flight   continued   throughout   the   night, 


The  Battle  of  Waghausel         225 

arms  and  accoutrements  were  thrown  away, 
and  the  rush  for  safety  went  on. 

No  entreaty,  no  threat,  could  stay  the  fear- 
ful panic.  Captain  Zurkowski  tells  in  his 
Feldzug  in  Baden  und  der  Pfalz  : 

"At  midnight  I  reached  Neulussheim,  and  there  found 
two  battalions  of  the  Bodyguard  Regiment  in  bivouac, 
and  a  third  at  the  bridge  which  crosses  the  Kraichbach. 
This  was  the  only  force  which  it  had  been  possible  to 
get  together.  With  them  were  General  Mieroslawski  and 
Sigel,  with  only  a  single  adjutant." 

At  one  o'clock  these  officers  started  for 
Heidelberg,  accompanied  by  an  orderly,  and 
reached  there  early  in  the  morning. 

At  Heidelberg,  during  the  battle,  glowing 
reports  of  victory  had  been  received  from  the 
field.  Dispatch  after  dispatch  was  published, 
giving  the  number  of  Prussian  prisoners  taken, 
telling  how  five  hundred  who  were  attempt- 
ing to  get  away  were  drowned  in  the  Rhine, 
and  that  whole  battalions  had  come  over  to 
the  Badeners.  The  enthusiasm  ran  high,  not- 
withstanding the  knowledge  that  General 
Count  von  der  Groeben,  with  another  Prussian 
army  corps,  had  come  from  Darmstadt,  and 
had  his  advance  posts  across  the  Neckar  from 

the   city.       They   had    even    fired    from    the 
15 


2  26    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Heiligenberg  into  the  town,  killing  two  sol- 
diers on  the  bridge,  but  were  driven  from  the 
place  by  some  companies  of  national  guards, 
which  Becker,  the  commander  of  the  city,  sent 
against  them. 

Struve  was  staying  in  Heidelberg  plying  his 
vocation  of  journalist,  and  receiving  bulletins 
of  the  progress  of  the  battle,  from  two  young 
men  who  had  belonged  to  the  Swiss  Legion. 

He  had  the  messages  printed  at  once,  and 
gave  them  to  the  public.  They  were  addressed 
by  "  Citizen  Rosenblum  "  or  "  Citizen  Danzer  " 
to  "  Citizen  Struve,"  and  told  how  Waghausel 
had  been  taken  by  storm,  how  the  Prussians 
were  retreating  ;  that  the  Germersheim  bridge 
had  been  shot  down,  and  Waghausel  com- 
pletely destroyed  by  fire.  It  was  also  related 
that  the  plans  of  the  General-in-Chief  had 
contemplated  driving  the  Prussians  into  the 
marshes  back  of  Philipsburg,  and  that  this  had 
been  accomplished,  the  enemy  losing  five  can- 
non thereby  ;  that  the  troops  and  the  remain- 
ing cannon  were  placed  in  a  ferry-boat  lying  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Philipsburg,  and  five  of 
the  cannon  had  been  afterward  thrown  into  the 
river. 

At  dusk  the  earliest  tidings  of  the  defeat  were 
received.    First  came  vague,  indefinite  rumours 


The  Battle  of  Waghausel         227 

which  no  one  could  trace  to  their  source.  A 
little  later  the  first  of  the  dragoons  who  had 
turned  the  fate  of  the  day  began  to  come  in. 
Soon  swarms  of  fugitives  arrived,  a  picture  of 
rout  and  disorder.  In  the  wildest  hurry,  black- 
ened with  powder  and  dust,  on  foaming  horses, 
the  different  arms  in  motley  confusion,  came 
cavalrymen,  artillerists,  blousemen,  and  infan- 
trymen, the  expression  of  despair  on  their  faces, 
and  with  the  cry,  "  All  is  lost."  The  confusion 
which  ensued  on  their  entry  into  Heidelberg 
was  indescribable.  Colonel  Beckert  and  his 
dragoons  were  among  the  earliest  arrivals, 
three  squadrons  of  them  going  at  once  to  Mann- 
heim, and  there,  as  at  Heidelberg,  beginning  to 
work  up  a  sentiment  against  Mieroslawski  and 
the  whole  revolutionary  movement.  Early  the 
next  morning,  without  waiting  for  orders  from 
Mieroslawski,  Beckert  set  out  for  Zinsheim, 
taking  with  him  all  his  cavalry  except  those 
squadrons  which  had  gone  to  Mannheim,  ac- 
companied by  a  portion  of  the  artillery,  part  of 
the  I  St  Infantry  Regiment,  and  the  most  panic- 
stricken  portion  of  the  volunteers,  haranguing 
the  people  everywhere  on  the  way,  and  in- 
stigating them  against  the  revolution. 

Mieroslawski's  first  work  was  at  eight  o'clock 
in    the    morning    to    post   notices    in    all    the 


228    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

streets,  stating  that  the  army  would  march  to 
Carlsruhe  by  way  of  Zinsheim.  Then  he 
commenced  the  task  of  re-forming  the  troops 
into  some  degree  of  order,  so  as  to  be  able  to 
make  front  against  the  enemy  if  he  should 
meet  with  him  on  the  contemplated  retreat. 
Every  drosky,  waggon,  and  horse  in  the  city 
was  forcibly  requisitioned  to  carry  the  troops. 
If  the  owners  demurred,  they  were  threatened 
with  dire  penalties. 

At  noon,  Mieroslawski,  with  SIgel  and  the 
general  staff,  accompanied  by  Struve  and  his 
wife,  F.  W.  Schloeffel,  whose  son  had  just 
fallen  at  Waghausel,  Germain  Metternich,  and 
other  leaders,  started  with  the  remainder  of 
the  army.  Johann  Phillip  Becker,  with  the 
Swiss  Legion  and  other  national  guards,  was 
ordered  to  make  pretense  at  defending  the 
place  and  then  follow. 

For  two  days  now  the  troops,  with  scarce 
an  interruption,  had  either  marched  or  been 
under  fire.  Regular  rations  they  had  not  re- 
ceived for  a  longer  period.  With  difficulty 
they  moved  forward.  To  this  was  added  the 
unbearable  heat.  In  the  villages  through 
which  they  passed  the  soldiers  met  with  many 
touching  evidences  of  sympathy.  With  eyes 
red  with  weeping,  the  country  people  brought 


The  Battle  of  Waghausel         229 

them  food  and  drink.  The  water,  carried  in 
pails  and  big  tubs,  was  drunk  with  the 
greatest  eagerness.  Hardly  a  stop  was  made, 
only  at  Mauer,  at  three  o'clock,  they  halted 
to  rest.  The  march  was  about  to  be  re- 
sumed, when  an  attempt  was  made  to  arrest 
Mieroslawski,  Sigel  and  the  general  staff, 
who  were  with  the  ist  company  of  the  2d 
Regiment.  The  movement  was  directed  by 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Thome,  who  was  appar- 
ently an  accomplice  of  Beckert's.  Sigel  made 
the  company  a  speech,  and  they  quickly  de- 
clined to  do  Thome's  bidding,  and  thereafter 
willingly  followed  their  leaders  to  Zinsheim. 

In  Zinsheim  all  was  commotion.  Since 
early  morning  fugitives  had  been  coming  to 
the  town,  where  they  rested.  After  three 
o'clock,  when  a  report  spread  that  Prus- 
sian troops  from  Langenbriicken  were  on  the 
way  to  the  place,  the  Baden  troops  made 
ready  to  take  up  the  march  again,  and  at  four 
o'clock  left  on  the  highway  for  Eppingen. 
As  they  disappeared  out  of  the  place,  the 
Zinsheimers  everywhere  put  out  white  flags 
for  fear  of  the  Prussians,  but  Civil  Com- 
missioner Dietz,  with  thirty  or  forty  men, 
rushed  into  the  buildings  and  tore  them 
down. 


230    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

At  Zinsheim  Beckert  had  awaited  news  of 
Thome's  attempt  to  arrest  the  leaders  of  the 
army,  but  when  he  learned  of  the  failure  he 
fled  on  to  Carlsruhe. 

After  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  Mieros- 
lawski  and  Sigel  arrived  with  the  general  staff, 
at  the  head  of  forty  dragoons,  and  were  at 
supper  when  informed  that  the  advance  guard 
of  Von  Peucker's  army,  which  had  crossed  the 
upper  Neckar  at  Zwingenberg  on  the  21st, 
was  on  the  heights  east  of  the  town,  in  the 
direction  of  Waibstadt. 

When  notified  of  the  danger,  Mieroslawski 
ordered  all  the  baggage  waggons  and  travelling 
conveyances  to  be  posted  on  one  side  of  the 
rather  wide  highway,  so  that  half  the  road  re- 
mained free.  On  this  portion  he  collected  the 
national  guard  and  that  part  of  the  infantry 
which  had  not  been  acting  as  advance  guard. 
Officers  went  from  waggon  to  waggon  order- 
ing the  soldiers  out  of  the  conveyances,  which 
many  left  unwillingly,  not  so  much  because 
they  feared  to  meet  the  enemy,  as  that  they 
did  not  wish  to  lose  their  comfortable  mode  of 
travelling. 

In  the  meantime  Sigel,  who  was  born  in 
Zinsheim,  had  marched  into  his  native  town 
with  the  4th  Regiment  of  the  line  and  six  can- 


The  Battle  of  Waghausel         231 

non,  rapidly  and  In  good  order,  to  meet  the 
enemy.  A  heavy  cannonade  ensued,  but  dark- 
ness having  set  in,  no  great  damage  was  done 
on  either  side,  but  the  Imperial  Army,  after 
having  a  score  or  more  men  wounded,  withdrew 
to  Waibstadt,  while  the  Badeners  continued 
their  march  to  Eppingen. 

In  order  not  to  come  in  contact  with  Von 
Peucker's  forces  again,  Mieroslawski,  instead  of 
taking  the  comfortable  chaussee  which  passes 
close  by  the  Wiirtemberg  frontier,  went  by 
way  of  the  little-used  road  that  runs  through 
Hilsbach. 

It  was  a  beautiful  starlit  night,  and  through 
the  darkness  crawled  waggons,  cavalry,  and 
infantry,  and,  without  mishap,  arrived  at  five 
o'clock  the  next  morning  at  Eppingen.  Here 
a  rest  of  several  hours  was  given  the  tired  and 
hungry  army,  when  the  march  was  resumed, 
and,  although  nothing  occurred,  grave  fears 
were  entertained  of  an  attack.  At  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  they  reached  Bretten, 
where  a  halt  was  made  for  the  night.  The 
confusion  here  was  great.  The  streets  were 
packed  with  guns,  ammunition,  forage,  and 
other  waggons,  and  the  conveyances  carrying 
the  men.  Toward  eight  o'clock  the  next 
morning   the    headquarters    and    entire   army 


2^2 


The  German  Revolution  of  1849 


left,  and  at  noon,  in  a  heavy  rain,  arrived  at 
Durlach,  the  ancient  capital  of  Baden. 


On  the  day  of  the  battle  of  Waghausel,  the 
same  conditions  prevailed  at  Mannheim  as  in 
Heidelberg,  the  air  being  full  of  rumours  of  a 
victory  won  by  Mieroslawski. 

As  early  as  the  20th,  Count  von  der  Groe- 
ben,  with  his  Prussian  corps,  was  on  the  line 
of  the  Neckar,  and  had  relieved  Von  Peucker ; 
troops  of  both  corps  were  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river  from  Mannheim.  When  finally  it 
became  known  in  the  city  that  the  Baden  army 
had  been  defeated,  the  reaction  boldly  raised 
its  head.  Mieroslawski  had  sent  word  from 
Heidelberg  for  all  the  leaders  to  meet  him 
there  with  the  Mannheim  troops  and  artillery. 
Colonel  Mercy,  who  was  in  command,  ordered 
the  troops  to  get  ready  to  march. 

Major  Thomann,  who  commanded  the  dra- 
goons that  had  fled  from  Waghausel,  delayed 
in  order  to  gain  time.  At  four  o'clock  he  had 
the  buglers  blow  the  assembly,  but  instead  of 
ordering  the  men  to  march  to  Heidelberg,  he 
directed  a  detachment  under  Sergeant  Major 
Eichholz,  to  proceed  to  the  railway  station 
and  stop  the  transportation  of  the  artillery  to 


The  Battle  of  Waorhausel         233 


Heidelberg.  In  this  he  was  frustrated  by 
the  bravery  of  the  battalion  of  national  guards 
from  Ettenheim,  who  with  loaded  muskets, 
forced  their  way  into  the  depot,  and  with  light- 
ning rapidity,  had  the  train  started  and  were 
soon  on  their  way  to  join  Mieroslawski. 

Freiherr  von  Triitschler,  with  the  Captain 
of  Artillery,  Arnold  Stock,  Colonel  Mercy,  and 
Lieutenant-Colonel  von  Corvin,  were  also  at 
the  station.  Von  Trutschler  had  arrived 
only  a  short  time  before,  with  Mieros- 
lawski's  order  for  the  soldiers  and  cannon. 
Friends  had  strongly  advised  him  not  to  leave 
Heidelberg,  as  it  was  already  known  that 
trouble  was  brewing  in  Mannheim,  and  the 
Freiherr  had  been  too  earnest  and  energetic 
a  revolutionist  to  escape  the  rage  of  the  re- 
actionary element.  Daringly  he  insisted  on 
going.  He  intended  to  return  on  the  train 
which  carried  the  artillery,  but  happened  to 
be  in  one  of  the  railway  buildings  when  the 
train  pulled  out  so  suddenly.  Now  he  was 
arrested  on  the  flimsy  pretext  of  attempting 
to  steal  the  District  funds.  Stock  was  arrested 
with  him,  as  were  also  Colonel  Mercy  and 
Lieutenant-Colonel  von  Corvin,  the  two  latter, 
however,  being  again  set  free  by  the  determined 
stand  of  a  detachment  of  national  guards. 


234    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Major  Thomann,  after  consulting  with  the 
Municipal  Council,  which  had  long  smarted 
under  the  revolutionary  yoke  but  was  afraid 
of  the  townspeople,  calmly  rode  across  the 
Neckar  bridge  toward  the  Prussian  camp, 
and  on  the  way  met  a  patrol  of  Prussian  hus- 
sars, to  whom  he  made  known  his  purpose,  and 
by  eight  o'clock  the  Prussian  advance  was 
in  Mannheim,  and  the  next  evening  the  city 
was  brilliantly  illuminated  in  honour  of  the 
Prussians. 

The  same  night  the  Prussians  marched 
toward  Heidelberg,  where  they  arrived  the 
next  morning  at  daybreak.  They  threw  a 
grenade  into  the  city,  and  as  it  remained  un- 
answered the  division  of  Major-General  von 
Schack,  consisting  of  more  than  five  thousand 
men,  entered  the  city,  and  half  an  hour  later  a 
second  division  arrived  from  Ladenburg. 

In  Heidelberg  also  great  pains  were  taken 
to  please  the  victorious  Prussians.  In  the 
evening  there  was  music  in  the  Schloss  by  a 
Prussian  band.  The  streets  were  full  of  Prus- 
sian soldiers  who  were  singing  Heil  Dir  im 
Sieges-Kranz  and  Ich  bin  ein  Preusse,  while 
some  of  the  more  daring  youth  who  would  not 
follow  the  example  of  the  reaction,  in  defi- 
ance still  sang  the  Hecker  song.     Everywhere 


The  Battle  of  Waghausel         235 

searches  were  made  for  concealed  persons  who 
had  fought  for  or  sympathised  with  the  revo- 
lution, and  when  caught  they  were  cast  into 
prison. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  Prussians  under 
Von  Hirschfeld  did  not  pursue  the  Badeners 
after  the  battle  of  Waghausel  -  Weisenthal. 
They  failed  to  discover  until  the  next  day  that 
they  had  won  a  great  victory,  and  it  was  only 
when  they  learned  of  this,  that  they  marched 
to  Weisloch  on  the  direct  road  from  Carlsruhe 
to  Heidelberof. 

On  the  23d,  they  were  joined  by  a  column 
which  Von  der  Groeben  had  sent  forward  from 
Heidelberg  by  way  of  Schwetzingen,  and  the 
whole  force  took  the  main  road  for  Bruch- 
sal.  At  Stettfeld,  north  of  that  place,  they 
came  in  collision  with  the  army  under  Gen- 
eral Sznayda,  consisting  largely  of  the  troops 
which  had  come  from  the  Palatinate  a 
few  days  before,  and  of  Baden  line  troops 
and  national  guards,  sent  from  Carlsruhe  to 
take  part  in  the  great  battle  which  it  was  ex- 
pected would  take  place  between  Germersheim 
and  Heidelberg  and  which  was  fought  at 
Waghausel  and  Weisenthal.  Sznayda,  who 
for  some  unaccountable  reason  failed  to  be 
present  at  the  battle,  had  just  been  ordered 


236    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

by  Dictator  Goegg,  now  constantly  in  the 
field,  to  occupy  the  attention  of  the  Prussians 
on  the  level,  until  Mieroslawski  could  com- 
plete his  retreat  over  the  hills. 

Sznayda's  army  had  erected  barricades  in 
Stettfeld  and  Ubstadt,  from  which  it  fired,  both 
with  cannon  and  small  arms,  on  the  Prussian 
force,  which  at  first  consisted  only  of  one  divi- 
sion, the  Third,  under  Major-General  von 
Reisewandt,  who  was  several  times  compelled 
to  retire,  a  troop  of  Uhlans  particularly  suffer- 
ing great  loss.  When,  however,  another  divi- 
sion, the  Second,  under  General  von  Webern, 
entered  the  fight,  the  Baden-Palatine  army  was 
compelled  to  retreat,  which  it  did  all  the  way 
to  Bruchsal. 

As  the  Prussians  were  already  in  Ubstadt, 
a  number  of  volunteers  still  firing  from  the 
church  steeple  were  cut  off  from  their  com- 
rades and  brutally  murdered  by  the  enemy, 
the  Prussian  chroniclers  calmly  relating  that 
in  the  churchyard  around  the  church  fifteen 
volunteers  were  shot  by  the  embittered  soldiers 
into  whose  hands  they  had  fallen. 

The  Prussians  were  close  on  the  heels  of 
Sznayda,  and  the  next  morning,  Sunday,  the 
24th,  having  still  further  augmented  their  force 
with  the  Fourth  Division,  that  of  Von  Brun, 


The  Battle  of  Waghausel         237 

which  had  fought  at  Weisenthal,  they  again 
came  up  to  him  at  Neudorf,  where  they  en- 
countered the  left  wing  of  his  army,  the  rear 
of  which  was  being  protected  by  the  Polish  Le- 
gion, which,  attacked  in  front,  and  with  the  fear 
of  being  flanked,  hastily  retreated  to  its  main 
body  at  Bruchsal,  followed  by  the  Prussians. 

In  that  city,  Sznayda's  troops  were  posted  at 
the  railway  station,  the  Schloss  Garden,  and 
the  Mannheim  Gate,  but  after  a  brief  fight, 
were  compelled  to  yield  before  the  enemy  and 
continue  the  retreat  to  Durlach  ;  and  Von  Han- 
neken's  division,  which  had  now  also  united 
with  the  other  Prussian  forces,  took  possession 
of  the  city.  After  leaving  Bruchsal,  Goegg 
ordered  all  the  locomotives  and  cars  on  the 
railway  to  be  taken  to  Carlsruhe,  and  had  the 
troops  tear  up  the  rails  as  they  proceeded 
southward. 

On  the  retreat  to  Durlach,  a  mutiny  took 
place  in  the  army,  directed  against  Sznayda. 
Ever  since  the  day  of  Waghausel-Weisenthal, 
the  Baden  troops  were  talking  of  treachery  in 
their  own  ranks,  and  now  that  they  were  meet- 
ing with  defeat  after  defeat,  were  constantly 
looking  for  some  one  on  whom  to  lay  the 
blame.  This  time  their  anger  was  directed 
against  their  Polish  leader. 


238    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

The  Prussians  had  stolen  forward  into 
Bruchsal  as  far  as  the  railway  station.  The 
Baden  rear-guard,  consisting  of  line  troops, 
national  guards,  and  a  light  battery,  thinking 
they  were  surrounded  and  betrayed,  were 
thrown  into  disorder  and  retreated  in  great 
confusion. 

Sznayda  and  his  general  staff  had  gone  as 
far  as  Weingarten  when  the  fleeing  rear-guard 
came  up  and  surrounded  the  General.  Fifty 
guns  were  pointed  at  his  breast,  their  owners 
crying,  "  He  must  come  down,  the  betrayer  of 
the  people  ! "  The  old  man,  who  was  only  an 
incompetent  fool,  perhaps  a  drunkard,  but  no 
traitor,  was  torn  from  his  horse,  four  shots 
were  fired,  a  sapper  struck  him  on  the  head 
with  an  axe,  and  the  blood  flowed  over  the 
Pole's  face.  His  sword,  scarf,  and  orders 
were  torn  off,  and  he  was  struck  with  the 
butts  of  guns  and  trodden  under  foot.  "  All 
Prussians  are  traitors,"  they  cried,  the  General 
being  held  to  be  a  Prussian  whose  name  was 
"  Schneider,"  instead  of  a  Pole. 

Now  a  few  determined  men  pressed  forward, 
pushed  the  mutineers  aside,  and  lifted  up  the 
General.  Protected  by  Baden  soldiers,  bloody 
and  with  tattered  uniform,  he  arrived  in  the 
afternoon  at  Durlach,  which  place  the  rest  of 


The  Battle  of  Waghausel         239 

the  army  had  already  reached,  and  a  union 
was  effected  with  the  forces  of  Mieroslawski. 

At  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  Becker  also 
arrived  safely  at  Durlach,  bringing  with  him 
fifty  baggage  and  ammunition  waggons  which 
had  been  left  behind  on  the  Karls  Place  in 
Heidelberg  by  Mieroslawski,  who  found  it  im- 
possible in  the  hurry  of  leaving,  to  requisition 
enough  horses  to  take  them  away.  Becker 
had  procured  horses  by  ordering  two  of  his 
companies  to  search  all  the  stables  in  the  city 
and  the  neighbouring  village  of  Ziegelhausen, 
carrying  pitch  rings  on  their  bayonets,  and 
threatening  to  set  fire  to  the  city  if  the  horses 
were  not  forthcoming,  and  as  a  result,  the  wag- 
gon train  was  drawn  by  all  the  finest  carriage 
and  riding  horses  of  Heidelberg,  which  had 
been  hidden  from  Mieroslawski. 

At  midnight  Mieroslawski  had  the  muster- 
call  sounded  and  the  whole  army  left  for 
Rastatt,  only  a  portion  of  the  national  guard, 
under  the  ever-useful  and  energetic  Becker, 
being  left  to  protect  the  rear,  with  orders  to 
detain  the  enemy  until  such  time  as  the  evac- 
uation of  Carlsruhe  could  be  effected  by  the 
government  and  the  ammunition,  supplies,  and 
archives  removed  from  the  city. 

The  following  morning  the  First  and  Third 


240    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

divisions  of  Von  Hirschfeld's  corps,  under 
Generals  von  Hanneken  and  von  Reisewandt, 
respectively,  the  united  forces  being  directed 
by  the  Prince  of  Prussia  personally,  reached 
Durlach,  and  a  lively  fight  ensued.  Becker's 
men  had  nearly  all  bivouacked  on  the  ground, 
wet  from  the  continuous  rain,  and  as  a  result 
of  this  and  their  labour  in  erecting  bar- 
ricades and  tearing  up  the  railway  in  the 
damp,  foggy  air  of  the  night,  presented  a  sorry 
appearance  in  the  morning,  but  were  still  full 
of  courage.  Their  commander  had  barricaded 
the  entrances  to  the  city  and  the  highways 
leading  to  Bruchsal  and  Grotzingen,  and  had 
the  men  stationed  behind  the  barricades,  and 
in  the  wood  over  toward  Rintheim,  and  in 
the  vineyards  and  orchards  on  the  hills  at 
Grotzingen. 

As  the  first  Prussian  division  approached, 
the  Badeners  began  a  well-directed  musket  fire. 
The  Prussian  Landwehr  Battalion,  Iserlohfiy 
which  charged,  was  thrown  back  with  many 
dead  and  more  than  eighty  wounded.  The 
Prussian  artillery  now  began  to  fire  canister, 
and  Von  Brun's  division  having  arrived  from 
the  direction  of  Rintheim,  attacked  Becker 
from  that  side,  while  Von  Reisewandt's  di- 
vision ascended  the  heights  at  Grotzingen  and 


The  Battle  of  Waghausel         241 

threatened  the  city  from  the  east.  The  Baden- 
ers  having  received  advices  showing  that  Carls- 
ruhe  had  been  evacuated,  after  havingf  foug-ht 
from  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  four  in 
the  afternoon,  withdrew  in  good  order  and 
marched  to  Ettlingen,  leaving  fifty  in  dead, 
wounded,  and  prisoners  behind,  the  loss  of  the 
Prussians  being  much  greater. 

Many  tales  of  heroic  deeds  were  told  of  this 
fight,  but  none  more  daring  than  that  of  the 
youthful  Captain  Mohrhard,  of  the  Swiss 
Legion.  With  two  companies  he  had  held 
three  thousand  Prussians  at  bay  for  two  hours 
at  his  barricade  near  the  railway  station,  on 
the  road  leading  to  Carlsruhe  ;  just  as  he  was 
ordered  to  retreat,  he  was  struck  in  the  head 
by  a  bullet,  dangerously  wounded,  and  ren- 
dered unconscious,  and  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  Prussians,  it  being  impossible  for  his  men 
to  carry  him  off. 

At  Ettlingen,  Becker  again  joined  his  force 
with  Mieroslawski's  and  marched  to  Rastatt, 
where  in  the  afternoon  of  the  25th  the  whole 
army  was  again  united. 

Mieroslawski  himself,  with  a  part  of  his 
army,  had  first  gone  to  Carlsruhe,  where  he  ar- 
rived at  noon  on  the  24th,  held  a  consultation 
with    the    government    officials,  and    told    of 


242    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Beckert's  treason  at  Weisenthal  and  on  the 
march  to  Zinshehn, 

Colonel  Beckert,  who,  with  his  dragoons, 
was  already  in  the  city,  was  thereupon  ar- 
rested, which,  however,  raised  a  tremendous 
tumult  among  his  men,  who  were  only  quieted 
by  the  diplomacy  of  Brentano.  Beckert,  how- 
ever, was  not  released,  but  taken  to  Rastatt 
and  imprisoned  in  the  fortress,  where  he  re- 
mained, until  finally  set  free  by  the  Prussians 
after  the  place  was  surrendered. 

Mieroslawski  now  gave  instructions  in  re- 
gard to  getting  the  war  materials  and  other 
supplies,  railway  cars,  and  locomotives  away 
from  Carlsruhe,  and  also  ordered  the  rails  to 
be  torn  up  after  everything  had  been  brought 
away  in  safety.  In  accordance  with  these  di- 
rections, the  Armoury  was  emptied  of  all  am- 
munition, which  was  carried  off  on  the  railway, 
and  not  a  locomotive  or  railway  car  of  any 
kind  was  left  in  Carlsruhe,  and  as  the  Baden 
railways  had  a  different  gauge  from  the  Main- 
Neckar  Railway,  it  was  impossible  for  the 
Prussians  to  bring  motive  power  from  other 
roads  for  use  in  Baden. 

After  the  safety  of  all  the  public  property 
had  been  provided  for,  Brentano  left  the  city 
for  Offenburg,  and  later  went  to  Freiburg. 


The  Battle  of  Waghiiusel         243 

Imperial  Deputy  F.  W.  Schloeffel  had  been 
civil  commissioner  in  the  city  for  the  last  day 
or  two,  with  absolute  powers.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  25th,  he  attempted  to  disarm  the 
Carlsruhe  burgher-guard,  peaceably  if  possible, 
if  not,  by  force  ;  but  the  Prussians  were  too 
near  the  city,  and  the  attempt  failed.  The 
last  of  the  officials  to  leave  the  city  were 
Goegg  and  Schloeffel,  who  rode  out  of  the 
Ettlingen  Gate  as  the  Prussians  were  entering 
by  the  one  from  Durlach. 

The  Prussians  entered  the  city  amid  great 
excitement.  At  half-past  two  o'clock  the  cry 
went  up  that  the  Prussians  were  coming,  and 
the  windows  of  the  houses  were  crowded  with 
the  curious.  Women  and  children  are  even 
said  to  have  gone  with  flags,  to  meet  them. 
At  last  the  Prussian  helmets  and  the  lances  of 
the  Uhlans  appeared  at  the  end  of  the  Lange 
Strasse  ;  following  came  in  close  columns  an 
infantry  regiment,  a  light  battery,  hussars  and 
dragoons,  and  after  them  the  Prince  of  Prussia 
with  his  general  staff. 

The  Carlsruhe  burgher-guard,  again  loyal 
to  tlie  old  regime,  under  their  commander, 
Colonel  Gerber,  with  drums  beating  and  flags 
flying,  defiled  before  the  Prince,  who  is  said  to 
have  received  them  "  patiently."    A  faint  cheer 


244    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

went  up  when  the  well-known  red  liveries  of 
the  servants  of  the  Grand  Duke  appeared, 
opening  the  long-closed  windows  of  the 
Schloss,  where  the  Prince  was  to  be  quar- 
tered. 

In  the  evening  the  city  was  illuminated,  and 
a  great  ball  given  in  honour  of  the  "  saviours 
of  the  country,"  as  the  Prussians  were  now  de- 
signated by  the  bourgeoisie  of  Carlsruhe. 

Six  weeks  to  a  day  had  passed  since  the 
State  Committee  entered  the  city,  invited  by 
the  same  citizens.  Now  the  persons  who  had 
been  members  of  that  body  were  flying  south- 
ward with  the  army,  which  was  looking  for  a 
place  to  make  a  last  stand. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

RE-ORGANISATION  OF  THE  ARMY  AT  RAS- 
TATT  —  FIGHTING  ALONG  THE  MURG 
RIVER— END  OF  THE  REVOLUTION— RE- 
TREAT THROUGH  THE  BLACK  FOREST 
AND  ENTRY  INTO  SWITZERLAND  — SUR- 
RENDER OF  RASTATT  AND  EXECUTION 
OF  THE  LEADERS  BY  THE  PRUSSIANS 

ON   the  evening  of  June   25th,  the  whole 
Baden    army   was    on    the     gla9is    of 
Rastatt. 

All  had  hurried  to  the  fortress,  thinking  it  a 
haven  of  safety.  Disbanded  and  discouraged, 
the  troops  arrived  in  picturesque  confusion  at 
Ettlingen.  Gradually  they  had  been  again 
formed  into  battalions,  and  marched  into  Ras- 
tatt with  drums  beatingf.  Division  after  divi- 
sion  entered  the  fortress,  led  by  Mieroslawski 
and  his  youthful  Adjutant-General,  Sigel ;  then 
came  the  redoubtable  Von  Willich,  having  in 
his  force  his  Besan9on  Legion  ;  Blenker,  at  the 
head  of  his  corps,  his  wife  on  horseback,  riding 
by  his  side  ;  and  Anneke,  also  accompanied  by 

245 


246    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

his  wife,  who  rode  a  handsome  brown  horse, 
which  had  been  captured  from  a  Prussian  cav- 
ahy  captain.  The  brave  and  resourceful  re- 
publican, J.  P.  Becker,  with  his  young  son, 
was  the  last  of  the  commanders  to  arrive. 

From  every  direction  came  masses  of  blouse- 
men.  Legion  succeeded  legion,  flag  followed 
flag.  There  were  the  Hanau  Turners,  the  Carls- 
ruhe  Free-corps,  the  Robert  Blum  Legion,  the 
Polish  Legion,  the  Hungarian  Legion,  Heuber- 
ger's  Sharpshooters,  and  the  Free-corps  from 
Renchen,  with  the  floating  red  horsehair  tufts 
on  their  grey  volunteer  hats.  Bodies  of  scythe- 
men  with  their  high-towering  weapons  fol- 
lowed the  legions.  There  was  a  constant 
rolling  and  crashing  of  drums,  a  clinking,  and 
droning,  and  blowing  through  the  streets. 

During  the  night  many  of  the  national 
guards  were  quartered  in  the  surrounding  vil- 
lapfes.  Inside  the  walls  of  the  fortress  men 
and  horses  lay  pell-mell,  dead  tired,  on  the 
street  pavements,  the  soldier  using  his  haver- 
sack, if  he  had  one,  under  his  head  as  a  pil- 
low ;  the  dragoon  beside  his  horse,  which  was 
stretched  on  all  fours.  Many  of  the  volun- 
teers were  cared  for  in  the  public  and  private 
buildings.  In  the  class  rooms  and  halls  of  the 
Lyceum  the  legionaries  were  bedded  on  straw. 


The  End  247 

Nature  was  exhausted.  The  army  had  trav- 
elled in  three  days  a  distance  which  in  times 
of  peace  would  have  required  a  week. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  next  day  the 
rally  call  rattled  through  the  streets,  calling 
the  scattered  bands  together.  At  noon,  on 
the  great  meadow  between  the  Kehler  and 
Ottersdorfer  Gate,  Mieroslawski  held  a  review 
of  the  remains  of  his  army. 

In  his  official  report  he  speaks  pathetically 
of  the  inspection  :  "  Every  one  could  notice 
what  evil  results  had  been  brought  about  in 
our  army  by  the  treason  of  Beckert  and  the 
intrigue  of  the  reaction.  At  almost  every  col- 
lision with  the  enemy  we  had  been  victorious, 
had  not  lost  a  cannon,  nor  a  flag,  and  yet  at 
the  roll  call  half  the  army  was  missing,  had 
gone  astray,  been  destoyed,  lost.  Without  one 
surrender  to  explain  this  deplorable  circum- 
stance, a  third  of  the  horsemen  have  gone 
over  to  the  enemy,  a  third  of  the  infantry  have 
surreptitiously  returned  to  their  homes,  as  have 
also  two  thirds  of  the  national  guard.  Only 
the  artillery  remains  steadfast,  complete,  and 
full  of  zeal  as  in  the  days  of  Kaferthal  and 
Waghausel,  and  still  promises  an  excellent 
and  bloody  battle  before  giving  up." 

The  entire  fighting  force  now  consisted  of 


248    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

only  about  thirteen  thousand  combatants. 
Since  shortly  after  the  defeat  at  Weisenthal 
Mieroslawski  had  conceived  the  plan  of  mak- 
ing a  determined  stand  on  the  line  of  the 
river  Murg,  of  which  Rastatt  was  the  strong 
point,  in  the  country  which  had  been  fought 
over  by  the  French  and  Austrians  fifty  odd 
years  before.  Rastatt  was  as  yet  incomplete, 
particularly  on  the  side  facing  in  the  direction 
of  the  Black  Forest,  but  was  still  a  fairly 
strong  fortress.  Here  is  the  narrowest  part 
of  Baden,  the  country  being  about  ten  miles 
wide,  with  the  river  flowing  across  the  entire 
distance  north-westerly,  rising  in  the  Black 
Forest,  passing  through  the  city,  and  finally 
emptying  into  the  Rhine  some  miles  to  the 
south. 

When  in  Carlsruhe,  on  June  24th,  Miero- 
slawski had  detailed  his  plan  to  the  govern- 
ment and  obtained  its  approval.  He  now 
divided  his  army  into  three  divisions  of  about 
four  thousand  men  each,  which  the  next  day 
he  disposed  of  on  both  sides  of  the  river. 
The  First  Division  was  commanded  by  J.  P. 
Becker,  the  left  wing  of  which,  stationed  at  the 
bridge  at  Steinmauern,  was  under  immediate 
orders  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Doll,  while  the 
right  wing  under  Becker  was  placed  in  front 


The  End  249 

of  Rastatt,  at  the  edge  of  the  Federbach 
woods,  where  breastworks  had  been  thrown 
up  for  the  artillery,  Becker's  headquarters 
being  in  a  slab  hut  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Federbach,  a  small  stream  emptying  into  the 
Murg  below  Rastatt.  Colonel  Oborski,  com- 
manding the  Second  Division,  was  at  the 
bridge  at  Kuppenheim,  which  was  protected 
by  a  bridge  head,  while  the  Third  Division, 
forming  the  right  wing  of  the  army,  under  Col- 
onel Mercy,  was  directed  to  guard  the  line  of 
the  river  from  Bischweier  to  Gernsbach  at  the 
edcre  of  the  Black  Forest. 

Mieroslawski,  in  his  order  of  the  day,  ad- 
dressing the  soldiers  as  his  "brothers  in  arms," 
told  them  that  now,  being  behind  the  insur- 
mountable bulwark  of  the  Murg  and  the  for- 
tress of  Rastatt,  they  could  await  the  enemy 
in  safety. 

Generally  the  troops  were  in  excellent 
spirit.  The  satisfaction  of  having  what  they 
considered  a  safe  position  gave  them  courage 
and  confidence.  The  former  defeats  and 
losses  seemed  to  be  forgotten.  A  half-hour's 
walk  from  the  Carlsruhe  Gate,  from  which  a 
large  tri-coloured  flag  depended,  was  Becker's 
volunteer  camp.  The  entire  woods,  both  to 
the  right  and  left  of  the  chaussee,  was  filled 


250    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

with  huts  hastily  built  of  slabs  and  boughs  of 
trees.  Here  the  men  were  singing  the  Mar- 
seillaise and  the  Hecker  song,  while  every- 
where it  was  said  that  in  two  days  the  army 
would  again  be  in  Carlsruhe. 

The  soldiers,  however,  were  greatly  afraid 
of  being  betrayed.  They  had  seen  traitors  in 
their  own  ranks  ;  spies  they  would  kill  without 
wating  for  the  uncertainties  of  trial  by  court- 
martial.  On  the  27th  a  man  was  arrested, 
charged  with  being  a  Prussian  spy.  A  horde 
of  cannoneers  saw  him  as  he  was  being  taken 
to  prison,  and  overpowered  the  guards.  Furi- 
ously he  was  dragged  through  the  streets, 
stabbed  with  bayonets  ;  wounded  and  bleeding, 
his  clothes  were  torn  from  his  body  ;  Justiciary 
Schaller  attempted  in  vain  to  save  the  man. 
At  last  two  shots  made  an  end  to  the  life  of 
the  person,  of  whose  guilt  no  one  was  ever 
certain. 

The  blood  of  the  soldiers  was  aroused,  and 
on  they  rushed  to  the  fort,  where  a  Jew  named 
Weil  was  imprisoned  in  the  casemates  for  be- 
ing a  spy.  Weil  was  courier  for  the  French 
Embassy  in  Carlsruhe  and  had  long  been 
suspected.  The  guards  quietly  gave  him 
up.  Quickly  he  was  taken  to  one  of  the 
moats  outside  the  fort.     Germain   Metternich 


The  End  251 

prevailed  upon  the  soldiers  not  to  abuse  him. 
Weil  attempted  to  speak,  the  soldiers  nearest 
to  him  went  some  distance  away,  several  shots 
were  fired,  and  his  life  was  over. 

The  three  allied  army  corps  under  Generals 
von  Hirschfeld,  von  der  Groeben,  and  von 
Peucker  formed  a  junction  at  Ettlingen  on  the 
28th,  and  while  the  united  corps  of  Von  Hirsch- 
feld and  Von  der  Groeben  advanced  durinor  the 
night  as  far  as  Neumalsch  and  created  disorder 
in  the  Baden  left  and  centre,  pushing  them 
back  at  several  points.  Von  Peucker's  corps 
pressed  forward  up  the  valley  of  the  Alb 
River,  over  the  mountains  and  across  the  sup- 
posedly neutral  domain  of  Wiirtemberg,  to 
take  the  Baden  troops  in  the  flank. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  29th,  the 
Prussians  stood  immovably  before  Rastatt, 
hidden  in  the  forests  of  Bietigheim,  Neumalsch, 
and  Malsch.  At  the  same  time  the  thick 
clouds  of  dust  which  rose  from  the  distant 
mountains  of  Schilberg  and  Herrenalb  gave 
notice  at  Rastatt  of  Von  Peucker's  flank  move- 
ment through  the  Alb  Valley. 

At  eight  o'clock  on  that  hot  June  day, 
the  Prussian  attack  began  on  the  main  road 
leading  from  Ettlingen,  and  soon  the  battle 
raged  all  along  the  line, — from  the  villages  of 


252    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Steinmauern  and  Oetigheim,  near  the  Rhine, 
to  Gernsbach,  at  the  mountains.  The  Prus- 
sians vigorously  attacked  the  trenches  on 
the  Federbach.  The  fight  lasted  the  entire 
day,  and  was  hottest  on  the  Federbach 
and  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Rauenthal. 
Sigel  was  watching  the  fight  from  the  walls 
of  the  fortress  of  Rastatt,  as  Camlossy,  an 
adjutant,  came  rushing  up  and  called  to  him 
that  his  old  battalion  desired  him  personally  to 
lead  them.  Sigel  complied,  and  the  battalion 
moved  into  the  fighting  line  on  the  Federbach 
with  courage  and  energy,  and  the  25th  Prus- 
sian Infantry  Regiment  was  forced  back  with 
great  loss.  They  twice  returned  and  took  the 
earthworks  which  the  Badeners  had  thrown 
up,  but  were  each  time  compelled  to  retire ;  as 
the  evening  twilight  came  on,  they  did  not 
renew  the  attempt,  and  Sigel  remained  master 
of  the  position  and  bivouacked  in  the  village 
of  Rauenthal  for  the  night,  where  he  was 
joined  by  Becker  with  his  national  guards. 

At  Kuppenheim,  Colonel  Oborski  likewise 
succeeded  in  forcing  the  Prussians  back,  who 
fled  to  Muggensturm,  while  Doll's  command 
drove  the  Prussian  extreme  right  to  Bietigheim. 

The  soldiers  of  the  line,  as  well  as  the  un- 
tried national  guards  and  volunteers,  conducted 


The  End  253 

themselves  well  in  the  face  of  overwhelming 
odds,  and  against  soldiers  who  considered 
themselves  the  best  in  the  world.  Even  the 
ever-sneering  Von  Corvin  in  his  ErinnerMngen 
says  he  is  convinced  that  on  that  day  the  Ba- 
den troops  gained  the  respect  of  the  opposing 
enemy. 

The  Imperial  Army,  under  Von  Peucker, 
arrived  at  Gernsbach  on  the  29th.  The  defile 
between  Loffenau  and  Gernsbach  was  pro- 
tected by  a  barricade  of  felled  trees,  but  was 
deserted  on  the  approach  of  the  vanguard  of 
the  Imperial  troops  under  General  von  Bech- 
told.  About  noon  the  fight  began  at  Gerns- 
bach. The  insurgents  took  possession  of  the 
houses  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Murg, 
and  from  there  fired  on  the  approaching 
enemy.  The  Prussians  threw  grenades  into 
the  place,  causing  fearful  havoc.  In  a  short 
time  a  sea  of  flame  raged  in  the  luckless  little 
town  and  eighteen  houses  were  on  fire. 

The  passage  of  the  Murg  was  stubbornly 
contested,  the  last  position  occupied  by  the  Ba- 
deners  was  behind  a  barricade  on  the  bridge, 
where  the  fight  was  bitter.  In  the  even- 
ing, however,  they  were  retreating.  The  ad- 
vance of  the  Imperial  Army  spread  a  panic 
in  the  divisions  of   Oborski  and   Mercy,  the 


254    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

flames  of  the  burning  village  being  seen  all 
over  that  portion  of  the  country.  The  Badeners 
now  believed  themselves  to  be  surrounded  and 
betrayed,  the  news  spreading  from  village  to 
village,  from  company  to  company. 

The  right  wing  under  Mercy  became  com- 
pletely disorganised  and  fled  to  Kuppenheim. 
This  also  wrought  havoc  in  the  centre  under 
Oborski,  who  at  first  attempted  with  his  own 
men  to  stop  the  flight  by  force,  but  as  they  too 
gave  way  and  fled  toward  Oos,  in  sheer  des- 
peration he  threw  up  his  command,  without 
notifying  the  Commander-in-Chief,  and  left  for 
Strassburof.  Battalions  that  had  conducted 
themselves  well  during  the  day  were  now 
unreliable ;  others,  instead  of  waiting  for  the 
command  to  go  forward,  turned  round  and 
hurried  in  the  direction  of  Oos.  The  insur- 
gent army  had  reached  the  last  stages  of  dis- 
solution. 

Becker  alone  of  the  three  division  com- 
manders retained  his  presence  of  mind.  It 
was  of  the  utmost  importance  to  occupy  Kup- 
penheim again,  as  its  loss  meant  the  capture 
of  all  the  forces  and  supplies  at  Rastatt.  At 
midnight,  Sigel  by  direction  of  Mieroslawski 
sent  word  to  Becker,  ordering  him  to  pro- 
ceed to  Kuppenheim  with  his  force  and  take 


The  End  255 

possession  of  the  place.     Becker  at  once  assem- 
bled his  worn-out  troops  and  marched  away 
in  the  darkness.     It  was  not  known  whether 
the  Prussians  were  in  the  village  or  not,  but 
on  his  arrival  he  found  the  inhabitants  asleep, 
not    even    a    night-watchman    being    on    the 
streets.     Soon  all  was  bustle.     Becker  planted 
his  batteries,   erected  barricades,  and  posted 
his    men    in    and    around    the    town.       Only 
after  all  this    had  been    done    did   he    make 
an   attempt  to  get  the  men  food,  and  little 
of    that    was    to    be    had.       In  the    morning 
Mieroslawski  sent  him  more  troops  and  some 
artillery  from  Rastatt.     The  Prussians  opened 
a  heavy  artillery  fire  from  the  front  and  right 
flank.     More  and  more  cannon  were  brought 
to  bear   on    the    place.     Houses   were   burn- 
ing  In    the  village,   and   the    Prussian    infan- 
try,   in    overwhelming   numbers,  was   coming 
closer   and   closer.      Becker's    men   were   be- 
coming restless ;    some   commands  had   even 
retired    in    disorder    toward    Rastatt.       The 
Robert  Blum  Legion  had  fled  from  the  defile 
it   was    defending,   and    the    Carlsruhe   Free- 
corps  had  followed.     The  line  troops  were  also 
giving  way.     So   Becker,  after  several  hours* 
fiCThtinof,  ordered  a  retreat   to  Oos,  and    col- 
lected  as  many  of  his  men  as  he  could  who 


256    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

were  not  already  on  the  way  to  Rastatt,  the 
supposed  place  of  safety. 

At  Oos  he  left  several   of  his  adjutants  in 
command  of  the  stragglers  who  were  scattered 
in  the  village.      Hardly  had  he  left  for  Offen- 
burg,  when  part  of  Von  Peucker's  army,  under 
the  Nassau  Lieutenant-Colonel,  Morrenhoffen, 
consisting  of  Mecklenburg  and  Nassau  troops, 
came  down  the  valley  of  the  Oos,  and  had  al- 
ready planted  a  howitzer  on  the  highway  south 
of  the  village  near  the  mill,  strongly  support- 
ing it  with  infantry.     Hastily  one  of  the  Baden 
adjutants  assembled  the  stragglers  of  the  Rob- 
ert   Blum   Legion,  the   Carlsruhe   Free-corps, 
and  the  Polish  Legion,  who  were  refreshing 
themselves  in  the  taverns   of  the  place,   and 
stationed  them  behind  the  houses  and  in  the 
cemetery,  at  once  opening  an  effective  skirmish 
fire  against  the  enemy. 

Finally  they  charged  the  cannon  and  cap- 
tured it,  and  again  and  again  threw  back  the 
enemy,  who  attempted  to  retake  it.  Another 
adjutant,  Alfred  Michel,  with  rare  courage, 
followed  by  a  handful  of  men,  rushed  up  the 
heights,  in  order,  as  he  said,  to  capture  the 
other  cannon.  His  effort  cost  him  his  life,  but 
the  enemy  withdrew,  leaving  the  Badeners  un- 
molested in  their  possession  of  the  entire  valley. 


The  End  257 

Without  this  resistance,  Mieroslawski,  his 
general  staff,  the  baggage,  and  the  greater  part 
of  the  reserve  artillery,  which  was  still  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Rastatt,  would  undoubtedly 
have  been  cut  off  from  their  main  body,  Mie- 
roslawski having  moved  his  headquarters  only 
in  the  forenoon,  Sigel  going  in  the  afternoon. 

Outside  of  a  force  of  six  thousand  men 
which  remained  shut  up  like  mice  in  a  trap 
at  Rastatt,  the  army  was  now  in  dissolution 
and  wild  flight.  No  power  on  earth  could  stay 
its  course.  The  men  had  lost  all  hope  in  their 
cause ;  some  went  south  by  the  railroad,  some 
in  waggons,  but  most  of  them  on  foot.  They 
sped  through  Buhl,  past  Sasbach,  by  the  sur- 
prised French  Invalide,  pacing  in  front  of  the 
monument  to  Turenne  and  the  old  walnut 
tree,  under  which  the  famous  Marshal  was 
killed  so  many  years  before  ;  through  Achern, 
where  the  artillery  horses  were  unhitched  and 
the  cannon  of  a  battery  abandoned,  while  the 
cannoneers  galloped  away.  Still  south  they 
went  until  the  next  day  Offenburg  was  reached, 
and  the  Commander,  until  now  dauntless,  also 
gave  up  all  hope.  Mieroslawski  resigned  his 
command  into  the  hands  of  the  remaining 
Dictators,  Werner  and  Goegg,  Brentano,  the 
Head  Dictator,  being  no  longer  in  Baden. 


258   The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Brentano,  with  his  usual  clear-sightedness, 
immediately  after  the  evacuation  of  Carlsruhe, 
had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  cause  was 
irretrievably  lost.  At  Freiburg,  where  the 
Constituent  Assembly  had  taken  up  its  seat, 
he  began  discussing  with  his  friends  the  pro- 
blem of  how  the  soldiers  and  national  guards 
might  be  saved  the  misfortune  of  exile. 

When  therefore,  on  June  28th,  the  Assem- 
bly at  its  first  public  session,  against  his  vigor- 
ous protest,  adopted,  by  a  vote  of  twenty-eight 
to  fifteen,  the  resolution  of  his  arch-enemy, 
Struve,  to  continue  the  war,  declaring  that 
every  attempt  to  negotiate  with  the  enemy 
be  looked  upon  and  punished  as  treason,  he 
took  it  as  a  personal  affront,  and  a  vote  of 
lack  of  confidence  in  himself,  and  resigned, 
leaving  the  same  night  for  Switzerland.  The 
next  morning  when  a  deputation,  which  had 
been  appointed  by  the  Assembly  after  he  had 
withdrawn,  came  to  inform  him  that  in  passing 
the  resolution  there  had  been  no  intention  to 
reflect  on  him,  and  asking  him  to  withdraw  his 
resignation,  they  were  dismayed  to  find  him 
gone.  The  Assembly  immediately  reconvened 
and  issued  a  manifesto  designating  Brentano's 
disappearance  as,  "  cowardly  treason  to  the 
fatherland."     On   July    ist,    Brentano   replied 


The  End  259 

to  this  document  from  Switzerland  in  a  fiery- 
address,  laying  bare  the  shortcomings  of  some 
of  his  fellow-revolutionists,  and  setting  forth  in 
plain  language  a  history  of  his  own  conduct 
of  the  revolution. 

After  Mieroslawski  had  resigned,  Werner 
and  Goegg  gave  Sigel  command  of  what  was 
left  of  the  army.  Offenburg,  where  the  scat- 
tered troops  were  gathering,  presented  a  scene 
of  the  greatest  confusion  on  Sunday,  July  ist. 
The  civil  head  of  the  government  was  gone, 
and  now  the  military  leader  had  also  given  up  his 
task  in  despair.  The  excitement  was  increased 
by  the  arrival  of  the  fragments  of  the  disor- 
ganised army.  In  numerous  railway  trains 
they  were  hurried  away  to  Freiburg.  Others 
who  would  not  wait  for  the  trains  tramped 
along  the  highway  or  railway.  The  different 
detachments  were  mixed  up  helter-skelter,  offi- 
cers had  lost  their  men,  and  the  men  their 
officers. 

Becker,  with  a  still  respectable  following  of 
national  guards,  infantry,  a  battery  of  artillery, 
and  even  a  few  dragoons,  marched  by  easy 
stages  up  the  legend-haunted  Kinzig  Valley. 
Slowly  he  passed  the  ancient  gates  and 
towers  of  Gengenbach,  over  roads  rich  in 
memories  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War ;  through 


26o   The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

a  country  ravaged  by  Swedes  and  French ;  by 
wayside  shrines,  and  ruined  castles  and  chapels, 
near  vineyards,  and  orchards  and  gardens,  under 
overhanging  rocks  and  dashing  waterfalls,  and 
through  forests  of  fir,  until  the  very  heart  of  the 
Black  Forest  was  reached.  The  force  subsisted 
on  the  bounty  of  the  friendly  inhabitants,  and 
at  Triberg  halted.  Here,  surrounded  on  all 
sides  by  high,  steep  hills,  Becker  made  his  head- 
quarters, and  kept  in  communication  with 
Sigel,  first  at  Freiburg  and  then  at  Donau- 
schinoren. 

The  south  of  Baden,  the  Oberland,  as  the 
people  call  it,  was  in  a  deplorable  condition. 
Ever  since  Mieroslawski  had  laid  down  his 
command,  it  was  overrun  with  fugitives  from 
the  army.  Hungry,  ragged,  unshaven,  and 
dirty,  they  came  in  scores.  They  asked  for 
food,  and  if  refused,  took  forcibly  what  was 
needed,  and  the  whole  country  through  which 
they  passed  was  soon  drained  of  horses  aiid 
waggons,  cows,  pigs,  poultry,  wine,  and  pro- 
visions. The  castles  and  other  possessions  of 
the  Grand  Duke  and  the  nobility  suffered 
more  than  the  property  of  the  common  people, 
as  their  owners  were  looked  upon  as  enemies 
of  the  cause. 
•  For  the  last  week,   Freiburg  had  been  the 


The  End  261 

seat  of  the  Baden  government.  The  rem- 
nant of  the  National  Assembly  and  the 
Imperial  Regency,  who  had  also  made  their 
last  headquarters  here,  had  now  departed. 
The  majority  of  the  Constituent  Assembly 
had  likewise  disappeared,  and  that  body,  no 
longer  having  a  quorum,  was  incapable  of 
transacting  further  business.  Only  Sigel, 
Werner,  and  Goegg  remained  at  their  posts. 

The  Imperial  and  Prussian  armies  were 
every  hour  drawing  nearer.  The  dragoons, 
and  soldiers  of  other  arms,  had  commenced 
negotiating  with  General  von  Hirschfeld  for 
their  surrender  and  amnesty,  so  on  July  3d 
Sigel  formed  his  troops  on  the  Karls  Place, 
and  called  the  officers  into  the  great  salon  of 
the  Palace  in  order  to  hold  a  council  of  war, 
and  decide  whether  to  fly  to  Switzerland  or 
enter  the  Black  Forest  and  continue  the  fight- 
ing. Sigel,  Goegg,  and  Major  Max  Dortu,  by 
their  ardent  speeches,  forced  the  unanimous 
adoption  of  a  resolution  to  continue  the  war. 
The  same  evening,  Sigel  sent  the  greater  part 
of  his  troops  into  the  Black  Forest  on  the 
march  to  Donauschingen,  where  Goegg  and 
Werner,  with  the  Treasury  and  government 
papers,  had  preceded  in  the  afternoon.  Sigel 
remained  in  the  Palace  until  four  o'clock  the 


i 


262    The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

next  morning,  when  he  rode  out  of  the 
SchivabaUhoi'-  accompanied  by  a  small  escort 
of  national  guards,  and  followed  the  army. 

Blenker's  troops  did  not  go  with  Sigel,  but, 
receiving  an  order  to  that  effect  from  the  pro- 
visional government  of  the  Palatinate,  which 
still  presumed  to  give  commands,  marched 
south  on  July  3d,  by  the  most  direct  route  to 
Lorrach,  from  there  some  days  later  crossing 
the  Rhine  to  Basle,  in  Switzerland.  Doll,  who 
was  to  occupy  the  highway  between  Freiburg 
and  Todtnau,  instead  of  obeying  his  orders, 
also  marched  directly  to  Kandern  and  the 
Swiss  frontier,  as  did  also  the  remnant  of  the 
Hanau  Turners. 

The  excuse  for  failing  to  go  with  Sigel  was, 
that  they  were  afraid  it  might  become  impos- 
sible to  get  out  of  the  country  in  case  of  final 
defeat,  there  being  many  rumours  current  of 
the  Prussian  ministry  having  concluded  an 
agreement  with  France  whereby  all  the  fugi- 
tives fleeing  from  Baden  were  to  be  shown 
back  from  the  French  frontier,  that  Bavaria 
and  Austria  had  done  the  same  in  regard  to 
their  borders,  and  unless  haste  were  made, 
Switzerland  might  do  likewise,  and  refuse  an 
asylum. 

The  road  to  Donauschingen  was   difficult, 


The  End  263 

particularly  for  the  artillery  and  waggon  trains, 
but  Sigel  plunged  boldly  into  the  mountains 
to  meet  Von  Peucker,  who  was  coming  up  the 
Murg  Valley,  feeling  safe  with  his  flank  pro- 
tected by  Becker  at  Triberg  and  Von  Willich 
in  Furtwangen,  where  he  had  been  hastily  dis- 
patched by  Becker. 

Rapidly  the  men  went  forward  through  the 
beautiful  country  called  the  Kingdom  of  Hea- 
ven (yHimmelreicJi),  and  into  the  Hollenthal, — 
the  valley  of  hell,  a  dismal  defile  shut  in  on 
either  hand  by  lofty,  towering  black  rocks, 
moss-grown,  with  scraggy  firs  on  the  top  and 
in  the  crevices  at  the  sides,  and  a  rushing  tor- 
rent far  down  at  the  bottom. 

The  march  was  full  of  interest ;  with  open 
eyes  the  young  revolutionists  listened  to  the 
stories  of  the  hills  related  by  those  of  their  com- 
rades who  had  been  born  and  reared  in  their 
shadows,  and  in  whose  families  the  tales  had 
been  handed  down  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion. In  imagination  they  could  see  the  young 
Archduchess  of  Austria,  Marie  Antoinette,  with 
her  gay  wedding  train  passing  over  the  road, 
having  just  been  married  in  Vienna,  by  proxy, 
to  the  Dauphin  of  France.  No  less  viv- 
idly before  them  appeared  that  stern  repub- 
lican, General    Moreau,  as  in  the    rainy  days 


264   The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

of  October,  1 796,  when  the  smallest  streams 
were  rivers  and  the  road  a  marsh,  he  came 
through  the  pass  with  his  great  PVench  army, 
almost  surrounded  by  the  Austrians,  yet  ever 
pushing  them  before  him,  and  successfully  gain- 
ing the  Rhine. 

On  July  5th  Donauschingen  was  reached, 
and  in  the  Schloss  of  the  Prince  of  Fiirsten- 
berg  the  headquarters  were  set  up,  the  gov- 
ernment having  arrived  the  day  before  and 
being  already  established  there.  From  here, 
on  July  6th,  was  published  the  prospectus  of  a 
government  organ  to  be  called  the  Badische 
Blatter.  The  troops  had  arrived  tired,  hungry, 
and  thirsty.  Now  they  rested  under  the  shade 
of  the  great  trees  in  the  Schloss  park,  and  ate 
and  drank  of  the  plenty  in  the  princely  kitchen 
and  cellars. 

Sigel  prepared  a  plan  to  attack  the  approach- 
ing enemy.  Von  Feucker  had  come  into 
the  Black  Forest  to  Freudenstadt,  and  was 
now  at  Rottweil,  not  many  miles  north  of 
Donauschingen. 

The  young  commander's  idea  was  to  entice 
him  to  Villingen,  half-way  between  the  two 
last-mentioned  points,  attack  him  in  front 
from  Donauschingen,  and  have  Becker,  who 
was  to  come  from  Tribero-  to  St.  Georg-en,  a 


The  End  265 

short  distance  north-east  of  VilHngen,  fall  on 
him  in  the  flank. 

The  plan  was  brilliant,  but  could  not  be  ex- 
ecuted, and  was  abandoned ;  as  both  Sigel's 
and  Becker's  men  were  too  much  demoralised 
to  be  depended  upon. 

On  July  8th,  Sigel,  with  his  entire  force,  left 
Donauschingen  for  Stiihlingen,  and  from 
thence  went  to  Thiengen,  and  little  that  was 
of  use  to  the  army — food,  horses,  waggons, 
calashes,  and  arms,  or  that  the  men  fancied  for 
their  private  purposes — was  left  by  **  the  army 
of  liberty  "  for  the  Prince  of  Fijrstenberg  on 
his  return  to  his  Schloss  at  Donauschingen. 

At  Thiengen,  Sigel  was  joined  by  Becker 
late  on  the  same  day.  The  next  day  the 
united  forces  marched  to  Balderschweil,  and  in 
the  woods  south  of  the  highway  leading  from 
the  village  to  Schaffhausen  a  large  camp  was 
established.  Here  the  tired  army  built  bough 
huts  for  their  temporary  shelter,  and  every 
effort  was  made  to  furnish  the  men  with 
provisions,  which  was  only  partially  successful, 
as  little  was  left  the  inhabitants  by  the  strag- 
glers from  the  army  who  had  been  coming  for 
the  past  week. 

In  the  country  between  Eglisau  and  Schaff- 
hausen, surrounded  by  Swiss  territory,   Sigel 


4 


266   The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

intended  to  make  a  last  stand,  but  the  Swiss 
authorities  promptly  notified  him  that  if  he 
did  so,  his  act  would  be  looked  upon  by  their 
government  as  a  breach  of  neutrality,  and  an 
asylum  would  be  refused  in  case  he  lost  the 
battle. 

No  more  provisions  were  to  be  had  in  the 
neighbourhood.  The  Prussians  were  near,  and, 
although  still  possessing  forty  cannon  and  a 
force  of  four  thousand  men,  there  was  only 
ammunition  sufficient  for  a  two  hours'  fio-ht. 
and  the  men  comprising  the  army  were  unreli- 
able. Therefore,  in  the  afternoon  of  July  i  ith, 
on  receipt  of  the  notice  from  the  Swiss  officials, 
a  council  of  war  was  held,  and  all  the  com- 
manders save  Von  Willich  voted  to  end  the 
revolution. 

At  midnight  the  order  was  given  to  break 
camp  and  march  to  Jestetten,  and  at  daybreak 
on  the  1 2th,  the  remnant  of  the  army  was 
marshalled  at  Jestetten  by  Sigel  for  the  last 
time. 

At  the  review,  men  of  all  arms  were  inter- 
mixed. Soldiers  of  the  line,  national  guards 
and  legionaries,  carried  besides  their  arms  the 
booty  which  they  had  taken  from  the  castles 
which  had  been  plundered.  A  waggon  train 
followed,    filled    with    military    effects,    Gome 


The  End  267 

wounded,  and  the  government  papers,  and 
garnished  with  drums  without  drumheads,  di- 
lapidated haversacks,  and  damaged  property  of 
all  kinds  ;  between  the  waggons  were  a  num- 
ber of  calashes  and  detachments  of  dragoons, 
some  of  the  horses  without  saddles,  some  with 
broken  bridles,  others  altogether  without  them, 
the  animals  being  led  by  ropes.  Only  the 
artillery  with  their  cannon  and  ammunition 
chests  remained  in  reasonably  good  order,  and 
the  troops  were  still  flying  their  flags,  torn  and 
tattered  like  the  clothes  of  the  men. 

Sigel  hesitated  to  give  further  commands  ;  a 
mighty  struggle  was  going  on  in  his  breast. 
At  last  he  gave  the  order,  "  We  cross  the 
Rhine  ";  the  drums  beat,  and  the  columns  be- 
gan to  move  slowly  and  sadly  in  the  direction 
of  the  Rhine  and  Switzerland  and  exile, 
Sigel  with  his  division  going  to  Eglisau, 
where  he  crossed  the  river,  and  Becker  with 
the  national  oruard  crossing  at  Rheinau. 

o  o 

The  two  Dictators,  Goeo^gr  and  Werner,  with 

o<->  ' 

a  small  detachment  of  troops,  had  crossed  the 
river  into  Switzerland  at  Constance  the  day 
before,  and  the  revolution  was  ended. 

Arriving  at  the  safe  haven  of  Switzerland, 
the  troops  were  at  once  disarmed ;  the  Swiss 
government  took  possession  of  all  the  military 


268   The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

effects,  and  the  men  scattered  in  ah  directions, 
discouraged  and  disheartened,  to  begin  Hfe 
over  again  —  some  in  Switzerland,  some  in 
France,  others  in  England,  by  far  the  larger 
number  in  the  United  States — but  their  native 
land  knew  them  no  more,  some  forever. 

Friedrich  Hecker,  the  man  whose  name  had 
been  used  as  an  inspiration  during  the  whole 
period  of  the  short-lived  revolution,  arrived  in 
Europe  at  about  the  time  the  last  of  the  beaten 
army  was  crossing  the  bridges  at  Eglisau  and 
Rheinau. 

On  July  15th,  he  was  in  Strassburg,  having 
crossed  the  Atlantic  Ocean  as  fast  as  steam 
could  carry  him,  in  pursuance  of  the  invitation 
of  the  State  Committee.  From  the  exiles  he 
learned  the  particulars  of  the  "lost  cause,"  and 
again  wended  his  sorrowful  way  to  the  sea, 
and  to  the  ship  that  was  to  bear  him  back  to 
the  great  free  country,  the  United  States. 

Only  the  fortress  of  Rastatt  was  still  in  the 
hands  of  the  revolutionists,  where,  since  July 
I  St,  it  had  been  surrounded  by  twenty  thousand 
or  more  Prussians  under  General  Count  von 
der  Groeben.  These  devoted  Badeners  still 
cherished  a  forlorn  hope.  They  published  a 
paper,  the  Festwigsbote,  which  did  much  to  en- 
courage them  in  holding  out,  and  on  July  8th, 


The  End  269 

a  sortie  was  made  from  the  fortress  and  a  lively 
fight  ensued,  but  a  considerable  quantity  of 
provisions  were  brought  from  a  neighbouring 
village. 

The  army  surrendered  unconditionally  on 
July  23d,  after  having,  at  the  suggestion  of 
the  Prussians,  and  accompanied  by  Prussian 
soldiers,  sent  two  officers  to  South  Baden, 
Freiburg,  Donauschingen,  and  as  far  as  Con- 
stance, to  ascertain  whether  the  statement 
made  by  Count  von  der  Groeben  was  true, 
—  that  the  Baden  army  was  no  longer  in 
existence. 

Upon  returning,  these  officers  had  reported 
that  their  friends  had  left  the  country  almost 
two  weeks  previously,  and  that  the  whole  of 
South  Baden  was  occupied  by  Prussian  and 
Imperial  troops.  Unconditional  surrender 
was  therefore  determined  upon,  the  Prussians 
entered  the  fortress,  and  the  Badeners  were 
made  prisoners. 

Now  the  last  sad  scene  of  the  last  act  in  the 
drama  was  performed.  The  foreign  soldiers 
having  gained  possession  of  the  whole  of 
Baden,  set  the  brutal  machinery  of  the  court- 
martial  into  full  motion,  and,  to  the  eternal 
shame  of  the  Prince  of  Prussia,  scores  of  the 
conquered  were  put  to  death,  while  hundreds 


I. 


270   The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

of  others  were  sent  for  long  terms  to  prison, 
like  common  malefactors. 

At  the  wall  of  the  churchyard  In  Mannheim, 
the  forceful  and  elegant  Wilhelm  August, 
Freiherr  von  Triitschler,  met  his  death  at  the 
**  age  of  thirty-three  years.  Neither  his  great 
family  name  nor  his  enormous  wealth  saved 
him.  He  was  a  nobleman,  yet  a  democrat, 
and  had  voted  in  the  National  Assembly  for 
the  abolition  of  the  nobility,  therefore  his 
doom  was  sealed. 

In  Freiburg,  the  cultured  twenty-four-year- 
old  Major  Max   Dortu,  who  had  come  from 
Potsdam  in  Prussia  to  fight  for  freedom  as  he 
\^     saw    it,   bravely    faced    death,   his   last   words 
i      being,  as  he   looked  Into  the  muzzles  of  the 
\    guns  of  his  countrymen,  "  Long  live  Liberty ; 
aim  well,  brothers." 

Then  came  Friedrlch  Neff,  who  as  a  youth 
had  travelled  as  a  cooper's  apprentice,  and 
afterward  by  his  own  efforts  worked  his  way 
through  the  universities  of  Heidelberg  and 
Freiburg,  and  now  came  to  a  bloody  end  in 
his  twenty-ninth  year. 

Rastatt  saw  the  most  blood  flow  in  the  ex- 
ecution of  the  law  as  enforced  by  the  Invaders. 
r  Here  leader  after  leader  was  laid  low,  and  his 
4    body  thrown,  without  coffin  or  funeral  service, 


1 


The  End  271 

into  a  big  ditch  prepared  in  the  northern  end    / 
of  the    cemetery.       One    day    it    was     Major 
Konrad  HeiHg,  the  commander  of  the  Rastatt 
artillery,   who   as   a   non-commissioned  officer 
had  been  the  pride  of  his  men,  as  well  as  the 
tallest  man  in  the  army.      He  walked  calmly     ^ 
to  the  place  of  execution  smoking  a  cigar,  and 
only  when  force  was  threatened  allowed  him- 
self to  be  blindfolded.     Another  day  it  was 
romantic    old    Colonel    Boning,   whose  death 
prayer  was,   "  Father  in    heaven,    I    come   to  r   y 
complain  to  you  of  my  murderers."  ■'^ 

Later  came  young  Ernest  Elsenhaus,  broad-  / 

shouldered,  pale,  and  intellectual-looking  ;  son  ' 
of  a  Wiirtemberg  clergyman,  whose  crime  was 
that  he  had  edited  the  Festitnp;sbote  durinof  the 
siege,  and  maligned  the  Prince  of  Prussia. 
At  the  repeated  suggestion  of  the  officer  in 
command  of  the  firing  party,  he  himself  tied  a 
handkerchief  over  his  eyes  before  the  fatal 
shots  were  fired. 

Gallant  old  Colonel  von  Biedenfeld  of  the 
3rd  Infantry  Regiment,  whose  early  life  had 
been  spent  in  the  Napoleonic  wars,  also  met 
death  here,  as  did  Colonel  Tiedemann,  who 
had  been  originally  a  lieutenant  in  the  Baden 
army,  was  the  son  of  a  well-known  professor 
in   the   Heidelberg   University,   had   gone   to 


"^ 


272   The  German  Revolution  of  1849 

Greece  and  fought  in  the  army  of  the  country, 
and  had  a  Greek  wife  and  a  young  son  in  that 
far-away  land. 

Among  the  last  of  the  more  prominent 
persons  to  be  executed,  was  Major  Mnieski, 
who  at  Philipsburg  had  been  accused  of  trea- 
son and  carried  to  Carlsruhe,  where  he  was  in 
prison  at  the  time  the  Prussians  made  their 
entry. 

Finally  came  young  Major  Jean  Janson, 
commander  of  the  Mannheim  National  Guard 
^  Battalion,  and  Major  Karl  Jacobi,  formerly 
also  leader  of  the  same  troops,  and  during  the 
siege  of  Rastatt,  commander  of  one  of  the 
forts. 

To  this  day  no  monument  or  stone  of  any 
description  marks  the  spot  where  these  brave 
men  await  the  resurrection  day. 

In  the  year  1873,  friends  and  companions-in- 
arms of  the  dead  asked  permission  to  erect 
a  gravestone  common  to  all  those  interred 
"^^  J  there ;  the  Baden  government  offered  no 
\i  objection,  but  Prussia  stepped  in  with  its  veto, 
and  the  burial-place  is  still  unmarked,  although 
visited  yearly  by  pilgrims  from  all  parts  of  the 
world. 


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Y 


INDEX 


Altlussheim,  219 

Anneke,  Col.,  122,  245 

Anweiler  Valley,  fight  in  the, 
121,  123 

Arndt,  6,  17 

Asbrand,  Col.  von,  commandant 
at  Kehl,  74,  79 

Austria,  3,  9,  22,  262  ;  "  March 
Movement"  in,  11;  executed 
Robert  Blum,  20,  22  ;  and 
National  Assembly,  125,  132 

Austrian  Reichstag,  21 


Baden,  history  of  (1815-1849), 
1-25  ;  republicanism  in,  26- 
43  ;  outbreak  of  revolution  in, 
^^-yj  ;  preparations  for  war 
in,  74-92,  141  ;  Friedrich  Wil- 
helm  IV.  declares  war  against, 
93  ;  and  Wurtemberg,  94,  95  ; 
and  Hesse,  96-98,  142,  144- 
158 ;  coalition  of  states  against, 
96-98  ;  and  State  Committee, 
99-115  ;  union  with  the  Palat- 
inate, 114,  145;  and  National 
Assembly,  126,  127,  137,  140  ; 
Archduke  John's  summons  to 
the  people  of,  137  ;  and  Re- 
gency, 138,  140;  Constituent 
Assembly  of,  177-186,  258, 
259,  261  ;  Dictatorship  of, 
182-184 ;  repels  allied  ene- 
mies, 187-213  ;  defeated,  214- 
244 ;  army  surrenders,  269  ; 
in  possession  of  Prussia,  269- 
272 

Baden  Chambers,  the,  estab- 
lished, 2  ;  bills  in,  3  ;  and  the 


Preliminary  Parliament,  g  ; 
and  demands  of  the  people, 
10 ;  dissolution  of,  35,  40, 
113  ;  and  Offenburg  congress, 
41  ;  the  reactionary,  63  ;  au- 
thorised revenue,  1S2 

Baden  Grand  Ducal  government, 
5,  59.  73,  III,  112,  114 

Baden  Landtag,  the,  proceedings 
of.  3.  5~7i  10  i  petition  of  the 
people  to,  10,  104  ;  members 
of,  15,  63,  loi,  108,  109 

Baden  press  law,  5 

Baden  Second  Chamber,  the 
{see  Baden  Landtag) 

Baden  Soldiers  to  their  Co?nrades 
in  the  Rest  of  Germany,  an 
address  (quoted),  115,  116 

Badische  Blatter,  the,  264 

Barbo,  71,  109 

Bavaria,  9,  23,  26,  122,  206, 
207,  262  ;  constitution  of,  2  ; 
"March  Movement"  in,  11; 
revolutionary  spirit  in,  95 

Bavaria,  King  of,  86,  117 

Beauharnais,  Stephanie,  2 

Beck,  Captain  von,  disobeys  or- 
ders, 155 ;  appointed  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, 158  ;his  plan 
of  campaign,  187  ;  resigns,  188 

Becker,  August,  136 

Becker,  Johann  Phillip,  191, 
207,  264,  267  ;  sketch  of, 
86,  87 ;  and  Club  of  De- 
termined Progress,  165-169  ; 
and  Provisional  government, 
171-175  ;  division  commander, 
195  ;  attack  on,  196  ;  during 
the  battle  of  Waghausel,  216, 


277 


2  78 


Index 


Becker — Continued 

226  ;  at  Heidelberg,  228  ;  at 
Durlach,  239-241  ;  at  Rastatt, 
246,  248,  249  ;  joins  Sigel, 
252,  265  ;  at  Kuppenheim, 
254,  255  ;  from  Oos  to  Offen- 
burg,  256 ;  at  Triberg,  260, 
263 

Beckert,  Col.  at  Leutershau- 
sen,  209,  210  ;  at  the  battle 
of  Waghausel,  218,  222  ; 
arouses  opposition  to  Mieros- 
lawski,  227,  229 ;  his  flight, 
230  ;  his  treason,  242,  247 

Behm,  191 

Bekk,  Minister,  and  deputies 
from  Offenburg  congress,  42  ; 
seeks  aid,  43,  48  ;  prepares 
papers  for  the  ministry,  57  ; 
interviewed  by  authorities  of 
Carlsruhe,  61 

Berg,  Grand  Duke's  proclama- 
tion from,  85 

Berg  Strasse,    fight  on  the,  151, 

153-156 
Berlin,   11-13,  131,  190 
Berlin    Deutsche    Reform,    the, 

135 

Besancon  Legion,  87,  118,  124, 
.195.*  245 

Biedenfeld,  Lieut. -Col.  von,  at 
repulse  of  the  Black  Hussars, 
217  ;  death,  271 

Blenker,  Col.  Ludwig,  in  the 
United  States,  iv.  ;  sketch  of, 
119,  120;  his  wife,  120;  takes 
possession  of  Worms,  144, 
147  ;  at  Rastatt,  245  ;  retreat 
to  Switzerland,  262 

Blind,  Karl,  released  from  pri- 
son, 66,  223  ;  and  State  Com- 
mittee, 70,  115  ;  and  Carlsruhe 
Zeitung,  73,  165  ;  Socialist,  105 

Blittersdorf,  von,  11 

Blittersdorf  Ministry,  107 

Blum,  Robert,  death  of,  21,  22, 

115 

Bockenheim,  145 
Bohme,  Deputy,  63 


Bonaparte  {see  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte) 

Bonfeld,  77,  79 

Boning,  Col.  George,  and  Le- 
gion of  Fugitives,  88  ;  sketch 
of,  89,  go  ;  and  radicals,  165, 
173-  174  ;  at  Hirschhorn,  207  ; 
death  of,  271 

Bonn  University,  17 

Bornheim,  145 

Bornstedt,  von,  67,  100,  102 

Brentano,  Lorenz,  88,  122,  124, 
242  ;  in  the  United  States,  iv.  ; 
republican  leader,  28,  108  ; 
and  State  Committee,  38-40, 
67-72,  99,  III  ;  and  Freiburg 
officials,  81,  82 ;  sketch  of, 
100-103  :  3-  conservative,  105  ; 
and  National  Assembly,  129  ; 
in  Mannheim,  148,  149  ;  and 
the  Provisional  government, 
161  ;  contest  with  radicals, 
163-175  ;  and  Constituent  As- 
sembly, 177,  180,  258,  259  ; 
and  Dictatorship,  183,  185 

Brun,  Gen.  von,  at  the  battle 
of  Weisenthal,  216,  221  ;  at 
Neudorf,  236  ;  at  Durlach, 
240 

Burgerzvehr  (see  Burgher-guard) 

Burgher-guard,  10,  45 


Camlossy,  252 

Campo  Formio,  peace  of,  inspira- 
tion of  the,  31 

"  Canister  Prince"  (see  Prussia, 
Prince  of) 

Carlsbad,  conference  at,  3 

Carlsbad,  decree  of,  7 

Carlsruhe,  seat  of  government, 
35,  38,  42,  241,  248  ;  outbreak 
of  revolution  in,  44-73  ;  prep- 
arations for  war  in,  83-90 ; 
State  Committee  at,  96,  99, 
100,  no,  112,  113:  and  Na- 
tional Assembly,  113;  Pala- 
tine army  in,  322-124;  radicals 
and  conservatives  in,  163-175  ; 


Index 


279 


Carlsruhe — Continued 

Constituent  Assembly  at,  177- 
186  ;  aids  Mieroslawski,  215, 
235  ;  supplies  removed  from, 
242  ;  ev^acuation  of,  239,  241, 
258  ;  Prussians  take  posses- 
sion of,  140,  243,  244 
Carlsruhe  Free-Corps,   90,    167, 

174,  246,  255,  256 
Carlsruhe  High  Consistory,  82 
Carlsruhe  Municipal  Council  and 

State  Committee,  67,  68,  157 
Carlsruhe  Rifle  Company,  197 
Carlsruhe  Zeitung,  the,  160,  162, 

165,  173,  175,  179 
Catholicism,  German,  107 
Catholicism,  Roman,  107 
Central    Investigation    Commis- 
sion appointed,  3 
Charles  X.  of  France,  4 
Christ,  177 

Clossman,  Gen.  von,  66 
"  Club  of  Determined  Progress," 
the,    organisation     and     pro- 
ceedings    of,      163-166,     16S, 
171-173,  175,  177 
Committee  of  National  Defence, 

organisation  of  a,  iiS 
Committee  of  Public  Safety,  64, 

65.  76,  84 

Committee  of  Seven,  the,  ap- 
pointed, 9  ;  report  of,  13,  14 

Confederation  of  the  Rhine,  the, 
2 

Constance,  revolution  in,  16, 
76  ;  Republic  of,  log  ;  retreat 
to,  267 

Constance  Seebldtter,  the,  7, 
106 

Constituent  Assembly,  the,  call- 
ed, 35,  113  ;  its  purpose,  40  ; 
invitations  to,  159 ;  prepara- 
tions for,  175  ;  its  member- 
ship and  proceedings,  177- 
186 ;  at  Freiburg,  258  ; 
dispersal  of,  261 

Corvin,  Lieut. -Col.  von,  233, 
253  ;  his  Erinnertingen,  253 

Cullmann,  115 


Dahlmann,  20 

Damm,  and  State  Committee, 
71,  109  ;  and  National  Assem- 
bly, 109,  133  ;  and  Constituent 
Assembly,  177,  180,  184,  186 

Danes,  19,  138 

"  Danzer,  Citizen,"  226 

Darmstadt,  96,  97,  142.  145,  155, 
198 

Dauphin    of   France,  263 

Davout,  190 

Degen,  Heinrich,  66 

Degenfeld,  Capt.,  218 

Delatour,  Major,  207 

Dembinski,  191 

Democratic  clubs,  28 

Democratic  party  in  Carlsruhe, 
46 

Denmark,  19 

Deutsche  Zuschauer,  the,  7, 
104 

Didier,  115 

Diet  of  Germany,  powers  of,  2 ; 
action  of,  4,  5,  8,  15,  19;  rep- 
resentation in,  7  ;  and  Pre- 
liminary Parliament,  14,  15  ; 
and  Imperial  Army,  146 

Dietz,  Civil  Commissioner,  229 

Doll,  Lieut. -Col.  Friedrich,  175, 
248,  252,  262 

Dollinger,  Dr.,  17 

Donauschingen,  264,  265 

Dortu,  Major  Max,  87,  173, 
261,  270 

Durlach,  Palatine  army  at,  123  ; 
Baden  and  the  Prussian  allies 
at,  198,  232,  237-240 

Diirr,  46,  64,  173 


Eichfeld,  Karl,  Minister  of  War, 
71,  73  ;  and  Executive  Com- 
mission, 72,  73  ;  his  appear- 
ance, 100;  and  the  army,  114, 
I4r,  144-148,  155 

Eichholz,  Sergeant  Major,  232 

Eisenstiick,  126 

Elsenhaus,  Ernest,  271 


28o 


Index 


Emperor    Alexander    Regiment, 

47 
England,  revolutionists  flee    to, 

268 
Erbach  Valley,  Hessians  in,  152 
Ettenheim,  national  guards  from, 

233 
Ettlingen,  123,  168,  241,  245,  251 
Eugene,  Prince,  inspiration  of,  31 
Executive   Commission,    72,   73, 

III,  161 


Fallati,  131 

Faszler,  Lieut.,  54,  55 

Federbach,  the,  249,  252 

Fenneburg,  Fenner  von,  118 

Festungsbote,  the,  268,  271 

Fick,  Capt.  von,  79 

Fickler,  Joseph,  republican 
leader,  7  ;  his  arrest,  15,  107, 
163  ;  and  State  Committee,  71, 
99  ;  sketch  of,  106-108  ;  and 
Provisional  government,  161 

France,  effect  of  the  republic  on 
Baden,  8,  26,  27  ;  refuge  for 
revolutionists,  88,  268 ;  aid 
asked  from,  115,  160;  agree- 
ment with  Prussia,  262 

Franco-German  War,  some  re- 
sults of,  iii.,  12 

Franconia,  145 

Frankfort,  9,  19,  43,  57,  77,  80, 
137  ;  Preliminary  Parliament 
at,  9 ;  disorders  in,  16.  17 ; 
Imperial  Ministry  at,  48  ;  Na- 
tional Assembly  at,  93,  133- 
135  ;  attack  on,  145 

Frankfort,  decree  of,  7 

Frankfort  Zeihtng,  the,  93,  94 

Frei,  Capt.,  65 

Freiburg,  mutiny  among  soldiers 
at,  35  ;  officials  removed, 75  ; 
troops  in,  Si,  88,  259  ;  seat  of 
government,  186,  258,  261 

Freiburg  University,  5,  17 

Freiligrath,  22 

French  Revolution,  8,  27,  100, 
127 


Friedrich,  Prince,  49,  50 
Friedrich  Karl,  Prince,  198,  218 
Friedrich  Wilhelm  IV.,  king  of 

Prussia,  his  idea  of  his  office, 

II  ;  elected  Emperor,  22,  30; 

his  manifesto,  93  ;   demand  of 

the  Vice-Regent,  133,  134 
Froebel,  Julius,  21,  115,  127,  128, 

148 
Fugitive  Legion,  the  {see  Legion 

of  Fugitives, and  Swiss  Legion) 
Fiirfeld,  77-79 
Furstenberg,  Prince  of,  265  ;  his 

schloss,  264 


Gayling,  Gen.  von,  79 

Gerber,  Col.,  51,  170,  243 

German  Bund  {see  German  Con- 
federacy) 

German  Confederacy,  2,  4,  5,  8, 
32 

German- Hungarian  Legion  {see 
Hungarian  Legion) 

German-Polish  Legion,  {see  Po- 
lish Legion) 

Germany,  unity  of,  72 

Germersheim,  iiS,  198,  215,  2i6, 

235 

Gernsbach,  fight  at,  253 

Giesin,  Corporal,  52,  54,  55 

Giessen  University,  17 

Giscra,  128,  133 

Glaubitz,  von,  81 

Goegg,  Amand,  and  State  Com- 
mittee, 28,  34,  66,  67,  99 ; 
presides  at  Offenburg  con- 
gress, 39;  Minister  of  Finance, 
71;  and  Executive  Commis- 
sion, 72;  sketch  of,  loS;  and 
Provisional  government,  161, 
171;  and  "  Club  of  Determined 
Progress,"  165,  173,  174;  and 
Constituent  Assembly,  177, 
181,  261;  Dictator,  183,  184, 
236,  237,  243,  257  ;  retreat 
into  Switzerland,  267 

Goler,  Lieut,  von,  217,  218 

Gorgey,  igi 


Index: 


2bl 


Gottesau,  57,  58,  63,  167 

Gravell,  President  of  the  Im- 
perial Ministry,  130,  134 

Great  Britain,  laws  effected  by 
Offenburg  congress,  39 

Greiner,  Capt.,  66 

Grimm,  Jacob,  17 

Groeben,  Gen.  Count  von  der, 
198,  215,251;  at  Rastatt,  268, 
269 

Grossmann,  Capt.,  58,  78,  79 

Groszsachsen,  203,  208,  209 

Grotzingen,  240 

Grundrechle  defined  by  the  Na- 
tional Assembly,  28 


Halle  University,  17 

Hanau,  145 

Hanau  Turners,  194,  246,  262; 
organisation,  91,  92;  evacuate 
Hirschhorn  Schloss,  206-208 

Hanneken,  Gen.  von,  199,  216, 
237,  240 

Hanover,  attitude  tov(^ard  the 
imperial  constitution,  23,  134 

Hanover  Zcitung  fur  Noi'd 
Deutschland,  the  (quoted),  94 

Hecker,  Friedrich,  Dr.,  in  the 
U.  S.,  v.,  16,  113,  268;  at 
Offenburg  meetings,  7,  104; 
at  Heidelberg  conference,  9; 
and  Preliminary  Parliament, 
14,  105;  popularity,  15,  16, 
27;  and  Constituent  Assembly, 
177;  in  Strassburg,  268 

Hecker  song,  33,  48,  97,  234, 
250 

Hecker's  uprising,  16,  80,  88, 
102,  107,  109,  148,  175 

Hecker's  Volksfreutid,  16 

Heddesheim,  205,  208,  209 

Heidelberg,  conference  at,  9, 
loi  ;  burgher-guard  of,  75  ; 
confusion  in,  84,  227  ;  pro- 
tection of,  141;  troops  in,  155, 
156,  192,  195-197 ;  hospitals 
of,  206;  rejoicing  in,  213,  232; 
headquarters    of    the    revolu- 


tionary army,  214,  215,  218, 
225,  232;  Prussians  enter,  234; 
ammunition  waggons  removed 
from,  239 

Heidelberg  University,  17 

Heilbronn,  burgher-guard  of,  95 

Heilbronn  Turners,  92 

Heilig,  Major  Konrad,  271 

Heine,  6 

Heinzen,  Karl,  82,  164 

Heinzen's  Example  in  Arith- 
metic^ 82 

Hemsbach,  151,  155 

Henneka,  Sergeant  Major,  71, 
100 

Heppenheim,  142,  151-153;  con- 
ference at,  7 

Hesse,  9,  26;  and  Baden,  96-98, 
144-15S,  187,  188,  201-213; 
revolutionary  movement  in, 
142 ;  action  of  government, 
142,  143 

Hesse-Darmstadt  {see  Hesse) 

Heuberger,  Capt.,  197 

Heuberger's  Sharpshooters,  246 

Hei'inich,  75 

Hindersinn,  Major,  205 

Hinkeldey,  Col.  von,  77,  78 

Hirschfeld,  Lieut. -Gen.  von, 
197-199,  251,  261  ;  and  the 
battle  of  Waghausel,  215,  216, 
235,  240 

Hirschhorn,  198,  206-208 

Hitzfeld,  Matilda,  121 

Hock,  16S 

Hoff,  Heinrich,  66,  67,  70,  no, 
173,  177,  180 

Hoffman,  Gen.,  35,  56,  64,  71, 
76,  77 

Holtz,  Col.,  49,  50 

Hoschst,  145 

Hl'ibner,  Baron  von  (quoted),  21 

Hungarian  Legion,  90,  199,  246 

Hungarians,  178,  197 

Hungary,  21 

Huth,  Capt.  von,  206 

Imperial  constitution,  the,  adop- 
tion of,  22,  30  ;  support  of,  23, 


282 


Index 


Imperial  constitution — Confd 
24,  31,  39,  46,  47,  68,  70,  72, 
81,  94,  95,  108,  117-124,  126, 
127,  130,  139,  146,  149,  150, 
178  ;  opposition  to,  23,  30,  82, 
117,  125,  134,  138,  162 

Imperial  Ministry,  20,  30,  48,  71, 
96,  129,  130,  133 


Jacobi,  Major  Karl,  272 

Jacobin  Club  of  France,  28 

Jacobinism,  106 

Jahn,  Friedrich  Ludwig,  17 

Janson,  Major  Jean,  272 

Jena  University,  17 

Jestetten,  266 

Jews,  prejudice  against  the,  in 

John,  Archduke  of  Austria,  18, 

36,  137 
Junghans,  108,  133,  177,  1S3 


Kaferthal,  149,  196 ;  battle  at, 
19S,  201-203,  208,  212 

Karl,  Crown  Prince  (afterwards 
Grand  Duke  of  Baden),  2,  3 

Kehl,  74,  79 

Kinkel,  Gottfried,  124 

Kinzig  Valley  of  the  Black  For- 
est, 34,  259 

Kirchheimbolanden,   120,  144 

Kirschauser  Valley,  152 

Kislau,  71,  loi 

Klein,  Capt.  von,  206 

Kossuth,  Louis,  191 

Kraichbach,  the,  218,  225 

Kilchling,  Dr.,  74 

Kuppenheim,  249,  252,  254 

Ladenburg,  195,  197,  198  ;  bat- 
tle at,  203-206 

Land  pension  fund,  113 

Landau,  fortress  of,  119 

Landau  Siege  Battery,  122 

Landesaussckuss  (see  State  Com- 
mittee) 

Lanzano,  46 

La  Roche,  52-54,  62 


La  Roche's  squadron  of  dra- 
goons, vii.,  52-54 

Laudenbach,  152,  155  ;  massacre 
in,  142  ;  meeting  at,   142,  145 

Lauterburg,  64 

"  Left,"  the.  21,  102,  126,  165 

Legion  of  Fugitives,  88,  167 

Lehlbach,  Pastor,  1S3,  186 

Leopold,  Grand  Duke  of  Baden, 
3,  25,  76,  148,  260  ;  in  favour 
of  the  constitution,  23,  24  ; 
flight  of,  56-61,  64,  68,  70,  76, 
112  ;  proclamation  of ,  85,  148, 
184;  recall  of,  157,  167,  175, 
183  ;  and  Constituent  Assem- 
bly, 184 

Leutershausen,  208,  209 

Liberal  ministry,  il 

Lil)eral  newspapers,  5 

Liberalism,  in  Baden,  3,  5,  6  ; 
in  German  universities,  3-5  ; 
Prussia  the  leader  against,  3, 

4,6 
Liberals,  5-9,  11,  21,  loi,  loS 
Liebknecht,  Wilhelm,  168 
Lorrach,  17,  35,  88,  262 
Louis  Napoleon,  115 
Louis  Philippe  of  France,  8 
Lowe  of  Calbe,  and  the  National 

Assembly,  129,  135,  136,  140  ; 

speech  of,  130 
Lowenfels,  M.  W.,  88 
Ludwig  I.,  King  of  Bavaria,  11 
Ludwigshafen,    battle    at,    196, 

19S-201,  203,  210 
Liitzow's  Free-Corps,  17 


Maier,  Gallus,  75 

Malmo,  peace  of,  17,  19 

Mannheim,  radicals  at,  7  ;  Pro- 
visional State  Committee  at, 
28,  29,  loi,  loS  ;  garrison  at, 
78  ;  petition  of  its  citizens, 
104  ;  headquarters  of  Mieros- 
lawski,  193,  199 ;  troops  in, 
195,  196  ;  fight  around,  197- 
200,  203,  210,  211  ;  martial 
law  in,  211  ;  rejoicing  in,  212, 


Index 


283 


Mannheim — Continued 

213,  232  ;  sentiment  aroused 
against  Mieroslawslci,  227  ; 
Prussians  enter,  234 

MannheimCatholicBurglier  Hos- 
pital, 104 

Mannheim  High  Court  of  Justice, 

82 
Mannheim  Journal,  the,  %S,  103 
"  March  Movement,"  11,  45 
Marie    Antoinette,  Archduchess 

of  Austria,  263 
Martiny,  165 
Mayence,  97,  198 
Mecklenburgers,  the,  allied  with 

the  Prussians,    1S7,    iSS,    196, 

197,  201,  203-207,  256 
Mercy,    Lieut. -Col.,     195,     232, 

233-  253,  254 
Messenhauser,  Wenzel,  118 
Metternich,    Germain,    76,    228, 

250 
Metternich,  Prince,  3,  n 
Meyerhofer,  Capt.,  114,  124,  189 
Michel,  Alfred,  87,  256 
Mieroslawski,   Louis,   appointed 
commander  of  Baden-Palatine 
army,    189,    191  ;    sketch    of, 
189,  190,   192  ;  watches  Prus- 
sians,    121  ;    organisation     of 
army,  192,  193,  195,  196'  214; 
directs   battles   against    allied 
enemy,    198,    et   seq.\    directs 
battle    of  Waghausel-Weisen- 
thal,  215,  f/'i-^^.;  retreat,   106, 
228,  et  seq.\    at  Rastatt,   247, 
255  ;  war  plans,  248,  249  ;  re- 
signs his  command,  257 
Miller,  Gen.  von,  80,  138 
Miltenberg,  92 
Mittermaier,  Prof.,  13 
Mnieski,  Major,  215,  216,  272 
M ogling, Theodore,  82,  205,  213, 

224 
Mohrhard,  Capt.,  241 
MoUenbeck,  von,  69 
Mordes,    Florian,    75.    78,    I77, 

183 
Moreau,  Gen.,  263 


Morrenhoffen,  Lieut. -Col.,  256 
Murg  River,  the,  248,  249 

Napoleon  Bonaparte,  i,  2,  31 
Nassau,  9,  145 

National  Assembly,  the,  pro- 
posed, 9 ;  election  of,  14, 
15;  members  of,  14,  15,  36, 
102,  108,  109,  165,  223,  270; 
first  session  of,  17-23  ;  adopts 
constitution,  22,  30;  defines 
rights  of  the  people,  28  ; 
war  declared  against,  93  ;  de- 
cline and  dispersal  of,  125- 
140,  184,  261 

Neckar  River,  the,  141,  I55  ; 
army  along,  195,  198,  205, 
211,  216  ;  overflow  of,  204 

Neckargemund,  92,  195 

Neckarhausen,  204 

Neff,  Friedrich,  88,  270 

Neudorf,  237 

Neuenburg,  78,  79 

Neulussheim,  218,  219,  225 

Neustadt,  80,  121 

Nolte,  Lieut. -Col.,  219 

Niirnberg,  public  meeting  at,  95 

Ohfi-Iand,  the,  260,  269 

Oborski,  Col.,  at  Kaferthal,  203  ; 
at  Leutershausen,  208;  praise 
of,  213  ;  ordered  to  Waghausel, 
219;  at  Philipsburg,  221;  at 
Kuppenheim,  249,  252-254 

Odenwald,  the,  142,  I44,  I50, 
151,  198,  216 

Oetigheim,  252 

Offenbach,  145 

Offenburg,  7,  151, 186, 187,  257, 

259 
Offenburg  congress,  the,   34-44, 

70,  71,  73,  "4 
Oos,  66,  76,  254-256 
Oppenheim,  Dr.  B.  H.,  165,  174 
Osterhaus,  Peter  Joseph,  v. 
Otho,  Prince  of  Bavaria,  120 

Paris,  115 


284 


Index 


People's  Clubs,  34,  46 ;  organ- 
isation of,  2S-31,  37 

Peter,  Ignatz,  and  new  ministry, 
40,  70 ;  and  Executive  Com- 
mission, 72  ;  and  State  Com- 
mittee, 109  ;  and  National  As- 
sembly, 133  ;  and  Provisional 
government,  i6i,  174 ;  and 
Constituent  Assembly,  177  ; 
and  Mieroslawski,  192 

Peucker,  Gen.  von,  92,  138,  196 
et  seq. 

Pfeiffer,  Col.,  144 

Pforzheim,  79 

Pforzheim  Turners,  91 

Philipsburg,  i6S  ;  Prussians  at, 
215,  216,  219,  221,  226 

Poles,  the,  178,  191 

Polish  Legion,  the,  go,  167,  174, 
237,  256 

Polish  Revolution,  the,  4,  191 

Preliminary  Parliament,  called, 9; 
proceedings  of,  13-15  ;  with- 
drawals from,  105 

Press,  the,  freedom  of,  3,  5,  7, 
10,  114;  censorship  of,  4,  5, 
10,  28,  97  ;  Liberalism  and, 
5  ;    and  the  revolution,  94 

Prinz,  143 

Prittwitz,  Gen.  von,  138 

Provisional  Central  Power,  43, 
77  ;  formation,  18  ;  and  Na- 
tional Assembly,  129,  130, 
135-137 

Provisional  government,  creation 
and  proceedings  of,  161-176  ; 
and  Constituent  Assembly, 
177,  180;  inspects  burgher- 
guards,  179;  and  Mieroslawski, 
192 

Provisional  State  Committee  (see 
State  Committee) 

Prussia,  20,  31,  93,  262  ,  and  Lib- 
eralism, 3,  6  ;  "  March  Move- 
ment "  in,  II  ;  and  Schleswig- 
Holstein,  19  ;  and  Saxony,  23, 
24;  and  allies,  25,  134,  197 
et  seq.;  and  the  Palatinate, 
120,   121,   123  ;    and  National 


Asembly,  125,  132,   136,    138  ; 

enters  Rastatt,  269  ;  treatment 

of  revolutionists,  25,  269-272 
Prussia,    Prince  of,   11-13,   102, 

19S,  240,  243,  269,  271 
Prussian  Observation  Corps,  98 


Rastatt,  surrender  of,  25,  269; 
People's  Clubs  in,  31,  36  ; 
mutiny  of  soldiers  in,  35,  44; 
State  Committee  at,  38,  43,  65, 
66;  public  meeting  at,  66-68; 
fortress  of,  94,  iSi,  248,  249, 
268;  army  goes  to,  239,  241; 
reorganisation  of  army  at,  245- 
24S;  siege  of,  248  et  seq. 

Raveaux,  Franz,  36,  114,  126, 
127,  135,  145-150,  156 

Rebenius,  Privy  Councillor,  64 

Reck,  Lieut,  von,  78,  79 

Regenauer,  10 

Regency,  Imperial,  the,  proc- 
lamation of,  136,  185  ;  and 
Wlirtemberg,  137,  13S,  140; 
at  Freiburg,  261 

Rehmann,  4^2,  no 

Reichsverioeser  (see  Vice-Regent 
of  the  Empire) 

Reisewandt,  Major-Gen.  von, 
236,  240 

Renchen  Free-Corps,  246 

"  Republic  of  Constance,"  the, 
109 

Republicanism,  16,  17,  24,  26 
et  seq.,  48,  95,  105,  107-109, 
127,  148,  166,  180 

Reutling,  95 

Revolutionary  party  in  Carls- 
ruhe,  46 

Rhenish-Prussia,  9 

Rhine,  the,  141,  199,  201,  221, 
267 

Rhine-Palatinate  of  Bavaria,  39, 
197,  262  ;  uprising  in,  23,  31, 
1x7-124,  126,150  ;  aids  Baden, 
24,  114;  martial  law  in,  97; 
and  National  Assembly,  127, 
137  ;  and  Regency,  138  ;  and 


Index 


285 


Rhine-Palatinate — Continited 
Constituent     Assembly,     159, 
178;  and  Mieroslawski,  192 

Richter,  108 

Rights  of  the  people  defined,  28 

Ritter,  177 

Robert  Blum  Legion,  the,  90, 
167,  174,  246,  255,  256 

Robespierre,  106 

Roggenbach,  Col.,  205 

Romer,  Friedrich  Schmerling, 
President  of  the  Wl'irtemberg 
Ministry,  94,  135-137,  140,  163 

"  Rosenblum,  Citizen,"  226 

Rosier,  128 

Rotteck,  Prof.  Karl  von.  Liberal 
leader,  5,  6 

Rotteck,  Karl  von,  report  of,  42; 
at  Freiburg,  75;  and  State 
Committee,  108;  and  Constit- 
uent Assembly,  177 

"  Rump  "  Parliament,  135 


Saxony,  attitude  towards  the  im- 
perial constitution,  23,  31,  93, 
126,  134  ;  and  National  Assem- 
bly, 131,  132 

Saxony,  King  of,  23,  126 

Schack,  Major-Gen.  von,  234 

Schaertner,  91 

Schaffhausen,  265 

Schaller,  Justiciary,  250 

Schimmelpfennig,  Alexander,  v., 

121 

Schlatter,  179 
Schleswig-Holstein,  19,  20 
Schloeffel,  F.  W.,  127,  128,  223, 

228,  243 
Schloeffel,  G.  A.,  223,  224 
Schoder,  133 
Schreeb,  Capt.  von,  205 
Schriesheim,  battle  at,  203-205, 

208,  209 
Schiiler,  Friedrich,  135 
Schulz,  133 

Schurz,  Carl,  in  the  U.  S.,  v. 
Schwarz,  Gen.,  49 
Schwarzenburg,  Prince,  21 


Sigel,  Franz,  167,  170,  195  ;  in 
the  U.  S.,  iv. ;  attempted  ar- 
rest of,  106,  229;  appointments 
of,  114,  189,  192,  259;  sketch 
of,  147,  148  ;  feeling  of  army 
towards,  148,  149,  i8g  ;  mani- 
festo of,  150  ;  at  battle  on  the 
Berg  Strasse,  153-158  ;  and 
Provisional  government,  161  ; 
at  Heidelberg,  208,  22S  ; 
praise  of,  213,  224;  at  Wag- 
hausel  and  Weisenthal,  219, 
221,  222,  224;  at  Carlsruhe 
and  Zinsheim,  230  ;  at  and 
around  Rastatt,  245  et  seq.; 
andConstituent  Assembly,  261 ; 
retreat  to  Switzerland,  267 

Simon,  Heinrich,  136 

Simon,  Ludwig,  128,  131;  speech 
of,  132 

Spanish  Succession,  Wars  of  the, 
inspiration  of,  31 

Staats-Lexicon,  108 

State  Committee,  organisation 
of,  28  ;  notice  to  "  People  of 
Baden,"  34,  42  ;  election  of 
permanent  committee,  37  ;  at 
Offenburg  congress,  38  ;  at 
Rastatt,  43,  66-68  ;  Carlsruhe 
given  up  to  the,  6r  ;  arrival  in 
Carlsruhe,  65,  69  ;  first  session 
of,  70-73  ;  appointments  by, 
74,  75  ;  adherents  gained,  78, 
81,  83  ;  Grand  Duke  of  Baden 
and,  85;  sketch  of,  99-116; 
and  the  army,  141,  146,  147, 
156-158,  189;  andConstituent 
Assembly,  159,  177,  178,  180, 
191  ;  dissolution  of,   160,    161 

Stay,  no,  177,  185 

Steinmauern,  248,  252 

Steinmetz,  no,  177,  184,  185 

Stenger,  168 

Stettfeld,  235,  236 

Stock,  Capt.  Arnold,  200,  233 

Struve,  Gustav,  44,  88,  89,  109, 
223  ;  revolutionary  leader,  7, 
16,  17  ;  at  the  Preliminary 
Parliament,     13-15  ;    his    im- 


286 


Index 


Struve — Continued 

prisonment,  17,  28,  32  ;  his 
popularity,  27  ;  his  wife,  32  ; 
and  State  Committee,  70,  71  ; 
trial  of,  102  ;  sketch  of,  103- 
106  ;  his  party,  109  ;  and  the 
army,  157  ;  and  the  "  Club  of 
Determined  Progress,"  164- 
167,  170,  173-175  ;  and  Con- 
stituent Assembly,  178,  186, 
258  ;  at   Heidelberg,    226,  228 

Struve  and  Heinzen's  Plan  fo?- 
ike  Revolutionising  and  Repnb- 
licanising  of  Germany,  164 

Stuttgart,  134 

Swabian  Legion,  90 

Swiss,  the,  in  revolutionary 
army,  86-88,  122,  178,  197 

Swiss  Legion,  the,  87,  88,  171, 
174,  207,  228 

Switzerland,  effect  of  the  repub- 
lic on  Baden,  26 ;  a  refuge 
for  revolutionists,  16,  88,  258, 
261,  262,  266-268 

Sznayda,  Gen.,  119,  122,  195, 
235-238 


Tariff  Union,  the,  6 

Thiebauth,  71,  no,  177,  184 

Thielemann,  G. ,  88 

Thiengen,  265 

Thomann,  Major,  232,  234 

Thome,  Col.,  106,  204,205,213, 
229,  230 

Tiedemann,  Lieut. -Col.,  165,271 

Tobian,  Lieut. -Col.,  202,  213 

Torrent,  109 

Trefurt,  10 

Triberg,  260,  263,  264 

Trlitschler,  Freiherr  Wilhelm 
August  von,  85,  212,  233  ;  and 
National  Assembly,  127,  129, 
133,  148,  270  ;  death,  270 

Turenne,  257 

Tijrr,  Col.  Stephen,  90,  199 

Tzschirner,  Samuel  Erdman, 
164.  165,  173 

Ubstadt,  236 


Uhland,  Ludwig,  129,  130,  140 
United  States,  the,  iv.-vi.,  16, 
27,  39,  113,  183  ;  its  govern- 
ment a  model  for  the  revolu- 
tionists, 14,  22  ;  a  refuge  for 
revolutionists,  268 
Universities,  German,  3-5,  17 


Venedey,  128,  133 

Vice-Regent  of  the  Empire,  of- 
fice created,  18  ;  represented 
at  Offenburg  congress,  36 ; 
and  army,  80  ;  retirement  of, 
130,  139  ;  and  King  of  Prus- 
sia, 134 

Vienna,  21,  119,  131 

Vienna,  decree  of,  7 

Vienna  Municipal  Council,  21 

Villars,  Marshal,  31 

Villingen,  264 

Vogt,  Prof.  Karl,  128,  135 

Volksfreund,  the,  16 

Volksfiihrer,  the,  no 

Volksvereine  {see  People's  Clubs) 


Wachter,  Gen.,  96,  201 
Waghausel,  battle  of,  214  et  seq. 
Waibstadt,  230,  231 
Waldmichelbach,    fight  at,    196, 

197 

Webern,  Gen.  von,  236 

Weil,  250 

Weingarten,  238 

Weinheim,  skirmish  at,  187, 
188 

Weisenthal,  battle  at,  106,  216 
et  seq. 

Weiss,  Col.,  206 

Weitershausen,  Col.  von,  147, 
209,  210 

Welcker,  Prof.  Karl,  5,  11,  108, 
129 

Welcker  and  Von  Rotteck's  Po- 
litical Dictionary,  108 

Werner,  Max,  and  State  Com- 
mittee, 99,  108,  146,  147;  and 
Constituent     Assembly,     177, 


Index 


287 


Werner — Continued 

261;  Dictator,    183,    184,  257, 
259,  267 

Willich,  von,  and  his  legion,  87, 
118,  195,  245  ;  surprised  by 
Prussians,  121;  at  Carlsruhe, 
123;  in  council  of  war,  266 

Windischgratz,  Prince,  21 

Witzleben,  Col.  von,  196,  203- 
205,  209,  210 

Worms,  capture  of,  119,  144, 
147;   evacuation  of,  120,  147 

Woynitzki.  Major,  91 

Wrangel,  Gen.  von,  19 

Wiirtemberg,  9,  26;  "March 
Movement"  in,  11;  attitude 
toward  the  revolution,  77,  79, 
80,  94,  95,  126,  145,  162,  163, 


201;  and  National  Assembly, 
125,  135-138;  Regency  and, 
138,  140;  Provisional  govern- 
ment and,  162,  163 

Wiirtemberg  Second  Chamber, 
94,  162 

Wlirzburg,  95 

Wlirzburg  University,  17 

Ziegelhausen,  239 
Ziegler,  46,  71,  109 
Zimmerman,  129,  185 
Zinsheim,  77,  78,  227-230,  242 
Zitz,  118,  127,  144,  195 
Zollverein,  German,  the,  6 
Zurkowski,  Capt.,  203,  225  ;  and 

his  Feldzug  in  Baden  und  der 

Pfalz  (quoted),  225 


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